THE GREAT SALT LAKE CITY 



\ 



FEMALE LIFE 

AMONG THE MORIONS; 



A NARRATIVE 

OF MANY YEARS' PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. 

BY THE WIFE OF A MORMON ELDER, 
RECENTLY FROM UTAH. 



NEW YORK: 
J. 0. DERBY, 119 NASSAU STREET. 

CINCINNATI : H. W. DEEBY. BUFFALO ! WANZEE, M C KIM & CO. 
CHICAGO: D. B. COOKE & CO. deteoit: KEEE, MOELEY & CO. 
ST. LOUIS : EDWAEDS & BUSHNELL. 




1855. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by 
J. C. DERBY, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of 
New York. 



W. H. TINSON, STEREOTYPER. 
FUDNEY & P.USSELL, PRINTERS. 



V 



INTRODUCTORY. 



That " one half of the world cannot imagine how the 
other half live," is no less true than trite ; and the lesson 
the adage affords, our experience and observation daily 
tend to verify. Then, too, when we consider the ever- 
varying phases of hitman passion, and the discordant 
elements from which all novel and fanatical sects are 
moulded, it can scarcely seem surprising that a faithful 
record of actual events should exceed in singularity the 
wildest dream of romance ; or that crimes, both strange 
and unnatural, should be perpetrated in a far-off country, 
on the outskirts of civilization, which people in another 
state of society would never imagine possible. Knowing, 
as I do know, the evils and horrors and abominations 



iv Introduction. 

of the Mormon system, the degradation it imposes on 
females, and the consequent vices which extend through 
all the ramifications of the society, a sense of duty to the 
world has induced me to prepare the following narrative, 
for the public eye. The romantic incidents connected 
with my experience, many may think bordering on the 
marvellous. To them I would say, that this narrative of 
my life only proves, what has so often been proved before, 
that " Truth is stranger than Fiction." 

The Author. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I . 

INTRODUCTORY. 

PAGE 

A False Angel— Magnetic Influence— Curiosity Awakened .... 9 
CHAPTER II. 

THE MORMON MEETING. 

The Midnight Assemblage — Arrival of Joe Smith — The Frantic Mother — The 
Dead Quickened— Interruption of the Meeting— The Mob and is Victim— Female 
Heroism . . . . . . , . . .15 

CHAPTER III. 

MORMON VEXATIONS. 

Grievous Annoyances— Ridiculous Catastrophe— Preparation to move West — A 
Startling Proposition ......... 30 

» CHAPTER IV. 

SUNDRY MORMON MATTERS. 

Mr. "Ward offers his Hand and Heart — The Young Wife has Strange Fears — Domes- 
tic Happiness Destroyed — A Wife's Duties Defined — Deplorable Results — The 
Doctrine of Spiritual Wives ........ 38 

CHAPTER V. 

MORMON REMOVALS. 

A Mormon Heroine — Difficulties Encountered — A Mormon Ruse — The Stratagem 
Successful— The First Halt— The Abduction of Hannah— Ellen's Narrative— A 
Mother's Instinct — The Pursuit— Discomfiture of Mrs. Bradish . . .50 



VI 



Contents. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE RECAPTURE. 

iPAGB 

Death of Bounding Bet — Speculations concerning the Prophet — Alarming Intelli- 
gence — Hapless Eate of Poor Ellen — Arrival at the Promised Land . . 71 

CHAPTER VII. 

THE MORMON SETTLEMENT. 

Mormon Merchandise — The Ambitious Mormon — Startling Reyelations — Mrs. Mur- 
ray discloses Secrets . . .• 1 . . . . .81 

CHAPTER VIII. 

MORMON FAITH AND WORSHIP. 

The Mormon Millenium— Interior Economy of Heaven . „ „ .91- 

CHAPTER IX. 

MORMON PROPHETS AND ELDERS. 

Quaint Portraits of Mormon Elders — A Missionary's Experience — Absurd Visions 
and Sore Temptations ......... 95 

CHAPTER X. 

MORMON CHURCH GOVERNMENT. 

Fools and Knaves — Mormon Tools — Mormon Estimate of Women — Sufferings of a 
Spiritual Wife — The Marriage Contract Annulled .... 99 

CHAPTER XI. 

MORMON OUTRAGES. 

Systematic Robberies — The " Regulators "—Tidings of Mrs. Clark . . . 108 
CHAPTER XII. 

REGULATORS. * 

Unwelcome Visitors — Midnight Murder — Escape of Mr. Ward .... 114 
CHAPTER XIII. 

THE FOREST. 

Mr. Ward's Account of his Escape — The Regulators take Yengeance— The Dilemma 
— Agonizing Suspense — Character of Mrs. Bradish ..... 120 

CHAPTER XIV. 

RETURN OF THE MESSENGER. 

Mrs. Bradish in a Dungeon— An Attack Contemplated .... 130 



Contents. 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE LIBERATION, AND SOMETHING ELSE. 

PAGE 

Death of the Prophet— The Oath and its Penalty .... 135 

CHAPTER XVI. 

THE NEW LEADER. 

Description of the New Leader — Heartless Conduct of the Prophet . . . 140 

CHAPTER XVII. 
GOING OFF. 

Preparations for Departing — Return of Mrs. Bradish — Mrs. Bradish relates her 
Adventures— Mode of making New Converts — Family Jars .... 144 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

EMILY'S NARRATIVE. 

The Prophet's Favorite — Incipient Vanity — Scenes in a Poor-House— The Poor- 
House in an Uproar . . . . . . . . .157 

CHAPTER XIX. 

SUNDRY MATTERS. 

Polygamy encouraged by the Prophet — A Stampede — A Rain-storm in the Prairies 
—A Solemn Sight— The Closing Scene . . . . . . .166 

CHAPTER XX. 

FORDING A RIVER AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 

The First Great Difficulty— Perilous Passage — The Catastrophe — Alarmed by 
Indians . . . . . . . . . . . 174 

CHAPTER XXI. 

WOMEN LOST OR CAPTURED. 

Foolhardiness of Mrs. Bradish — Fears for the Missing Women — The Fearless Scout 
—The Re-Capture ......... 182 

CHAPTER XXII. 

EMILY'S NARRATIVE CONTINUED. 

The Buffaloes— The Bitter Taunt— Emily learns who She is— The Lost Will . . 191 
CHAPTER XXIII. 

FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS. 

Strange Advice for a Woman to give — Trouble in Store for Louisa — The Painful 
Discovery— The Mischief Maker— Two of a Trade can't agree — The Listeners— 
The Voice of Nature will be heard — Fond Hearts re-united — The Disappointed 
Match-Maker . . . . . . . . . .198 



viii 



Contents. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

LOVE IN THE WILDERNESS. 

PAQS 

Courting by the Camp-Fire — A True Woman— She Would and She Wouldn't . 215 

CHAPTER XXV. 
A wife's trouble. 

The Power of the Will— Blissful Ignorance — Snake Indians and their Captive- 
Attempts at Ransom ......... 223 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

AN UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER. 

The Intercepted Letter— Fan Catches a Tartar . . . . . . SSO 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

A NEW CHARACTER. 

The Beau Ideal— Fraternal Love— A Childish Vision— Santa Fe Traders . . 235 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 

THE FUGITIVES. 

Anxiety for the Absent — A New Flora's Interpreter — Young Blood vs. An Old Head 
--The Sacrificial Dance— Hide and Seek . . . - . . . .243 

CHAPTER XXIX. 
water! water! water! 
Murmurings in the Camp — Horrible Sufferings — More of Fan's Coquetries — Hostile 
Indians ........... 262 

CHAPTER XXX. 

OTHER DIFFICULTIES. 

A New Difficulty — Ethleen the Indian Girl — Picturesque Scenery — An Indian Altar 
The Last Trial 261 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

BEAR RIVER VALLEY. 

The Secret Enemy — Dissatisfaction Broods in Secret — The Sacred Garments — Mrs. 
Bradish Declines the Honor — The Promised Land — The Startling Missive . . 270 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

OTHER EMIGRANTS. 

Discourses on Polygamy — A Scene at " Meal-Time " — Sport and Scandal — The Re- 
jected Lover— The Prophet Braved by a Woman— Destiny will Decide . . 281 



Contents. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

A HOME IN THE DESERT. 

PAGE 

The Source of Mormon Stability— The New City— An Old Fool and a Young Flirt- 
Evil Results of Polygamy — Mrs. Haley in Trouble — The Bitter Sorrow — Ancient 
Practices Revived ......... 294 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

EMILY'S NARRATIVE CONTINUED 

The Prophet and his Victim — The Bravado — Family Secrets — The Conspirators . 303 
CHAPTER XXXV. 

CHURCH AND STATE. 

Primitive way of Choosing Preachers — Little Spirits in want of Bodies — Debasing 
tendency of Polygamy — A Father sells his Daughters — Brother Weldy's Chief 
Blessing — The Sale Consummated . . . . . . .315 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

THE SELF-ACCUSER AND THE DYING HUSBAND. 

The Forsaken Wife — The Perfection of Meekness — Bitter Reflections — Mother and 
Daughter— The Poison Root ........ 328 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

A SCENE. 

The Ill-boding Wife — Meeting Troubles half way — She put it in his Head — A Domes- 
tic Scene — Difficulties Thicken — Mutual Recriminations .... 339 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

EMILY AGAIN. 

The Missing Maiden — The Alarm Increases — An Expedition starts k in Search of 
Emily . 350 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

MARRIAGES. 

She Mourns as for the Dead— A Hard-hearted Old Man — The Hoary Lover and 
Youthful Victims— A Model Father— Matrimonial Speculations . 9 . 356 

CHAPTER XL. 

A CONSULTATION. 

The Unsuccessful Search— The Prophet's Mandate— The Prophet Suspected— Mrs. 
Bradish Utters Treason— Ambition Thwarted ...... 365 



X 



Contents. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

DIFFERENCES. 



PAGE 



A Gigantic Scheme — Mormouism Antagonistic to Republicanism — Mormon Hunters 
kill Strange Game — Peculiarities of Utah Indians . 376 

CHAPTER XLII. 

THE NEW WIFE. 

A Discontented Mind — A Mormon Dinner-table — The Solution of the Riddle— A 
House divided again Itself — The Non-Intercourse System — The Tables Turned — 
The Quarrel . . . , . . . . 'J '■ "y^p 

CHAPTER XLIII. 

ETHLEEN'S ADVENTURE. x 

Grief of the Indian Wife — Hariner relates his Adventures — Sagacity of Ethleen . 399 
CHAPTER XLIV. 

THE GOLD FEVER AND ITS EFFECTS. 

The Gold Fever — Portrait of a Mormon Lady— Indian Vengeance— Awful Effects of 
the Poison— Return of the Gold Hunter . . . . . .407 

CHAPTER XLV. 

REVELATIONS. 

Mesmerism in aid to Mormonism — Mrs. Bradish Reveals Secrets — Re-appearance 
of Emily — Harmer finds his Betrothed ....... 416 

CHAPTER XLVI. 

MTSTERIES. 

Mysterious Disappearances — Gross Deception — Mormon Barbarities — Having Eyes 
they See Not — Interesting Dialogue . . . . . . . 424 

CHAPTER XLVII. 

LIGHT. 

Important Discovery— Murder of Gunison's Party — Dangerous Knowledge — Horrid 
Treachery — She is Doomed . ... . . . . . 435 

CHAPTER XLVIII. 

UNCERTAINT Y — C ONCLUSION. 

Doubts and Fears — Escape of the Author — The "Warning — Conclusion . . 445 



FEMALE LIFE AMONG THE MORMONS. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

MY early life was passed in that beautiful and picturesque 
region, which borders the Skaneateles Lake, in the State 
of New York. The season of my childhood passed in compara- 
tive peace and happiness, but circumstances, over which I had 
no control, brought me into contact with enemies, who sought, 
by the most malicious and slanderous reports, to injure my repu- 
tation — in which they succeeded ; and smarting under the neglect 
of former friends, I determined to abandon my home, and 
privately visit some relatives of my mother, who were living near 

Albany. For this purpose I left the house of A J- , 

in Spafford, Onondaga County, New York, and took the stage 
for XJtica in the same State. I had not previously apprised my 
friends of this intended visit, because I feared that my enemies- 
might thus be informed of my destination, and I could not feel 
safe from their malice, however great the distance, if they knew 
where I was. 

The only passenger in the stage except myself, was a gentle- 

1* 



10 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



man, apparently middle-aged, of rather handsome features and 
prepossessing appearance. The Mormon Bible and opinions were 
at that time the general topic of discussion, in all society through 
this vicinity, and after a few general remarks on the state of the 
roads, weather, and kindred subjects, he inquired with a piercing 
look, what I thought of the Mormons. 

" I think it is all delusion/' I replied. 

" And why do you think so ?" he inquired. 

"Many reasons conspire to strengthen this opinion," I 
answered. 

" Please state them." 

" In the first place, then, I have seen this Joseph Smith, the 
author of the Mormon Bible, and I could discover nothing in 
his appearance at all corresponding with a divine character." 

" Yet, if I have been rightly informed, many persons in your 
part of the country think otherwise." 

"It is true," I answered, "that many people of my acquain- 
tance, in Scott and Spafford, have embraced Mormouism, but 
every delusion, however absurd, will have its believers." 

" There was a family in Coldbrook by the name of Cheeny, I 
think," suggested the man. 

" Yes," I answered, " Mr. Cheeny's family were considered 
very fine people, were members of the Free-will Baptist Church, 
and the Pulsifers too; Pulsifer, the Swamp Angel," and I burst 
into a laugh. 

" The Swamp Angel ?" said my fellow traveller, inquiringly, 
"who was that ?" 

" There were two families by the name of Pulsifer, both 
believers in Mormon," I answered. " A child died in one of 
these families, and the Mormons gave out that, on a certain 
night, an angel would come and carry the body to heaven. The 
time appointed arrived, the relatives of the dead were assem- 
bled, when a figure in white, and with small bells attached to 



A False Angel. 



11 



its garments, appeared. A party of the unbelievers, lying in 
ambush, immediately gave chase. The figure ran for a neigh- 
boring swamp, but was pursued, taken, stripped of its angel 
robes, and proved to be Pulsifer, the uncle of the deceased." 
" False," said my companion. 

" I assure you it was the truth," I continued ; " and poor old 
Mr. Humphrey was deceived by them, too. The old man was 
determined to be right, if possible. He was first a member of 
the Free-will Baptists ; thon he joined the Seventh-day Baptists 
— left them, and was baptized to the faith and order of 
Mormon ; subsequently deserted the Mormons, and united with 
the Baptists again, and then finally returned to the Mormons, 
by whom he was dipped seven times in succession, on account of 
his apostasy. He remained faithful to them after that, but 
always observed the seventh day." 

" Well," observed the gentleman, " the Mormons were not 
chargeable with the absurdities of their devotee." 

" Oh, no !" I answered, " but they have enough of their 
own." 

" Were you ever acquainted with Elder Gould ?" he inquired. 
" I have seen him ; he used to preach in Spafford." 
" He did, and with great acceptability, yet he joined the 
Mormons." 

" And poor Mrs. Maxson was induced to leave her husband 
and children and go with them ; and Maria Ripley, a young 
woman, left her aged and infirm parent, and went off, too." 

"For which they were wholly justifiable," said the man. 
" For he that loveth father, or mother, or husband, or wife, 
more than me, is not worthy of me." 

" Are you then a believer in Mormon ?" I inquired. 

" I am, or I am not," he answered. 

" Hardly a fair way of answering a question," I said ; and the 
conversation came to a pause. 



12 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



At this time I was wholly unacquainted with the doctrine of 
magnetic influence ; but I soon became aware of some unac- 
countable power exercised over me by my fellow traveller. His 
presence seemed an irresistible fascination. His glittering eyes 
were fixed on mine ; his breath fanned my cheek; I felt bewil- 
dered and intoxicated, and partially at least lost the sense of 
consciousness, and the power of motion. 

The stage stopped to change horses. The weather was 
excessively cold, and my companion proposed that we should go 
into the inn to warm. I made no objection ; indeed, I felt 
incapable of resistance to his wishes. "We were ushered into a 
warm and comfortable parlor, the floor of which was covered by 
a cheap carpet, yet looking very neat and tidy ; and the 
papered walls, hung with several pictures, in oaken frames. My 
companion requested me to be seated, and called for refresh- 
ments. I obeyed mechanically, and when the wine and cakes 
were furnished partook sparingly. My companion became com- 
municative ; informed me that his name was Ward, that he was 
a man of property, and a widower, with two children, that he 
was well acquainted with many people in Scott, my native 
place, and had frequently heard the name of my father men- 
tioned as a citizen of exalted reputation. 

Here I made some allusion to the length of time which the 
stage seemed stopping. He said it was nothing unusual in cold 
weather, and that, for his own part, he would prefer not to go 
farther that day. " I suppose, that you can stay if you wish," 
I said. " Kot without you," he answered, and again fixing on 
my face one of his piercing looks. I became immediately sensi- 
ble of some unaccountable influence drawing my sympathies 
towards him. In vain I struggled to break the spell. I was 
like a fluttering bird before the gaze of the serpent-charmer. 

At length, by a powerful effort of will, I succeeded in 
releasing myself from the captivation, and, rising, went towards 



.Magnetic Influence. 



13 



the door, to ascertain when the stage would be ready. There I 
met a boy, and inquired of him : 

"Laws, ma'am, the stage has been gone this hour," he said, 
wonderingly. " 'T won't be back neither 'fore day after next," 
he continued. 

Mr. Ward was just behind me. 

"'Tis strange," he said. "I wonder what the rascal of a 
driver was thinking of to leave us in this manner." I recollect 
at the moment that a faint perception that Ward was at the bot- 
tom of the matter, crossed my mind. I turned to accuse him 
of it, bat the landlady just then came into the room, to inquire 
of what I stood in need. 

" The stage has left us," said Ward, " but I consider it fortu- 
nate rather than otherwise. The weather is too cold to travel." 

"The weather is certainly cold," said the landlady, "and we 
shall be happy to entertain you both till the stage comes round 
again. Shall I have a fire made for Madam in a separate apart- 
ment ?" 

" Certainly," I said, and the landlady departed. 

" On more accounts than one," resumed Ward, " I regard 
this circumstance as fortunate. The Mormons are to have a 
great meeting here this very evening." 

" And what is that to me ?" I said, interrupting him. 

" It may, it must be something to you," he answered ; " I 
desire you to go and see, and hear for yourself." 

" Go," I answered, astonished at the audacity of the pro- 
posal ; "go into such a company of entire strangers ?" 

" And what if they be strangers ; you have seen too much 
of the world, I imagine, to be afraid of strangers." 

"I am not afraid of strangers," I began. 

" Then what is there to hinder your going ?" he interrupted. 
" It will be much more interesting than staying in this stupid 
place." 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" Very likely." 

"To be sure it will ; you can go with me." 

Here Mr. Ward left the room for a short time, and I began 
to examine the books which lay on the table. The first one I 
took up was the Book of Mormon, and during my examination 
of it Mr. Ward returned. He commended my employment, 
and said that my room would soon be ready, which was a great 
mistake, as I heard no further mention of it. I have since had 
reason to believe that he countermanded my orders, through 
fear of losing his influence over me. Be that as it may, the 
hours passed on, and the night came, while I yet remained the 
occupant of the parlor. Mr. Ward, in the meantime, had 
spared no pains to win my confidence, and ingratiate himself in 
my esteem. He bore letters of recommendation and introduc- 
tion to some of the first men in the country. These, I have 
since learned, were forgeries from beginning to end, being a 
species of Mormon imposture. 

"The landlady seems very dilatory in getting your room 
ready," he said, at length. " She certainly cannot expect that 
you are going to stay all night in the parlor." 

" I will go and inquire." 

" It is unnecessary, I will inquire for you." 

Before I could reply, he disappeared, but soon returned with 
the disagreeable information that the rooms were already occu- 
pied, and that it would be impossible for them to entertain me. 
This was in direct contradiction to what I had previously heard, 
and my astonishment was depicted on my countenance, when 
Mr. Ward, to reconcile the discrepancy, told me that a large 
wedding party, relatives of the landlord, had just arrived, and 
that the apartment designed for me, had been appropriated to 
the bride. "But," he continued, "it will be some consolation 
for you to know, that I discovered the trunk containing your 
wardrobe standing in the hall. The rascally stage-driver must 



Curiosity Awakened. 



15 



have misunderstood your orders, and thought that you were at 
the end of your journey." 
** But the fare V I suggested. 

"If he has gone off without his pay, it will injure no one but 
himself. He was half-drunk, I suppose." 

" Is there no other inn in the village ?" I inquired. 

" None that I know of ; however, if you will go with me I 
can introduce you to a worthy lady of my acquaintance, who 
will be happy to receive you." 

And I went with him ; what else could I do ? 



CHAPTER II. 

THE MORMON MEETING. 

i» rjlHE lady to whom I am about to introduce you," said 
J_ Mr. Ward, as we walked, in the pale, misty moonlight, 
along the slippery streets, " is a Mormon ; and the meeting 
to-night is to be held at her house." 

" Why did you not tell me of this before ?" I inquired. 
"What difference would that have made?" he answered, 
you are constrained to depart from the inn ; you have no 
acquaintance here ; I could not introduce you to a more hospi- 
table person ; and you must excuse me, but I considered it a 
fine opportunity to make you acquainted with some of our 
leading tenets." 

That word "our!" he was, then, a Mormon, and I was mor- 
ally in the power of that fanatical sect. Yet it was too late to 
retreat : my sympathies were with Mr. Ward ; and then a 
strange and unaccountable feeling of curiosity took possession 



16 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



of my mind. I had heard muc^ said about Mormon Meetings — 
the miracles and supernatural appearances said to attend them 
— and now was to have the chance of judging for myself. I 
felt half-pleased with the idea, but hesitated about telling my 
companion so. As we passed along, two or three persons came 
up to Mr. Ward, at different times, and exchanged with him 
rapid signs, and some inarticulate words, of which I could only 
distinguish " ready," on one side, and "soon" on the other. 

The house of Mrs. Bradish stood at some distance from the 
main road, in the midst of a large yard that was bounded on 
the north by a deep, dense wood. The building itself was a 
very large antique structure, built long before the Revolution, 
and serving, under the seigniorial tenures then in vogue, as the 
mansion-house of the hereditary lords of the soil. Some parts 
of it had fallen into decay, but enough remained in a good state 
of preservation to furnish a very handsome residence to a 
wealthy family. 

Mrs. Bradish received us with a stately and dignified hospi- 
tality, yet with such a conciliating manner as made me feel 
myself welcome, although she did not say so. She was a fine- 
looking woman, with a bead and face decidedly intellectual. 
She conducted me to an elegant, yet old-fashioned, apartment in 
the eastern wing of the building, where a substantial supper 
was spread by one of the domestics ; her family having already 
partook of the evening meal. She sat, however, and served at 
the table. Her conversation was deeply interesting, and con- 
tained a long and full description of Mormon tenets. 

" And you will meet with us to-night, Miss B , will you 

not V she said, in conclusion. 

"I hardly know, Mrs. Bradish," I answered; "something 
tells me that I had better not." 

"It is the evil spirit, my child," she answered, fervently ; 
" depend upon it, the tempter seeks your destruction." 



The Midnight Meeting. 



I could scarcely forbear a smile. 

"Do not smile," she said, solemnly; "do not tamper with 
your eternal interests. And then we are to have a miracle 
to-night." 

" A miracle ?" 

" Yes : the dead restored to life." 

"Impossible ! Mrs. Bradish, you jest." 

"I clo not," she answered, solemnly. "Was not Lazarus 
raised from the dead, and the son of the widow of 2sain. Do 
you think that the arm of the Lord is shortened, that he can- 
not save, or that the miracles which attended his first revelation 
would be withheld from the second ? We are in expectation of 
even greater things than these." 

"What could be greater V! I inquired. 

" The resurrection of the living." 

" Explain yourself." 

" By the resurrection of the living, I mean the adoption of 
the faith of Mormon. You understand me ?" 

I could not say that I did ; but when she again invited me to 
be present at the meeting, I signified my assent. She then 
retired to make preparations, informing me that, when the 
assembling-hour, which was that of midnight, arrived, she would 
call for me. 

Left alone with my thoughts, I was forcibly impressed with 
the singularity, not to say danger, of my situation, and more 
than once regretted my precipitate abandonment of home. But 
it never was my habit to indulge in unpleasant reflections ; so I 
looked around for some book of amusement. A volume of 
Swedenborg was all that the room contained in the shape of 
literature. The subject of this was new, and consequently 
interesting. Buried in the dreams and reveries it rehearsed, I 
took no note of the flight of time, until the clock chimed eleven. 
It yet wanted one hour of the time appointed for the meeting. 



18 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



I felt somewhat drowsy, and rose to examine my room. It con- 
tained a bed, with snow-white counterpane and curtains ; a 
large massive table, in antique style, with feet and legs carved 
to resemble the corresponding limbs of a bear or some other 
uncouth animal ; washstand of the same pattern, with furniture 
of more modern appearance ; two or three chairs, carved and 
stuffed ; a case of drawers, and a small mirror. There was also 
a wide, old-fashioned open fireplace, in which a roaring fire was 
blazing and crackling. Near the fireplace was a window hung 
with thick, heavy curtains ; at the further end of the apartment, 
and directly opposite the window, was a door. It was locked ; 
but immediately over it hung the key. Perhaps it was a breach 
of hospitality, but my curiosity overcame my discretion. I 
applied the key : the bolt flew back, and the door swung open 
I now perceived that this was the entrance to a long hall or 
passage, with doors on either side, communicating with other 
rooms. I advanced to one of them, and plainly perceived the 
glimmering of light through the crevices, and heard the indis- 
tinct murmur of voices. At length, one louder than the others, 
in which I instantly recognized that of Mr. Ward, exclaimed : 
" How wonderful !" " 'Tis more than wonderful," said another ; 
u; tis miraculous. Praise the Lord !" 

The clock struck twelve, there was a movement as of rising 
in the room, and I retreated to my apartment, locking the door 
to prevent intrusion. 

Fifteen minutes elapsed before Mrs. Bradish arrived ; her 
countenance wore an expression of unusual solemnity, and 
taking me by the hand, she said in a low voice, that slightly 
trembled. 

" The power of the Most High God will be exhibited to-night, 
but do not be alarmed ; indeed, there is no cause for fear." 

" I am not afraid," I answered ; neither was I so far as per- 
sonal violence was concerned, though the remarkable character 



Arrival of Joe Smith. 



19 



of what I had heard, had certainly affected my nerves with a 
slight tremor. Having sufficiently adjusted my hair and apparel, 
we descended together. The room in which the Mormons were 
assembled, was a large oblong hall, w T ith curtained windows. 
The furniture consisted of a few rude benches, and a table resem- 
bling a huge desk, stood at the upper end, on which a small 
candle was feebly burning. It was impossible to form anything 
like a correct calculation of the numbers assembled, on account 
of the obscurity. I could only perceive an indiscriminate mix- 
ture of men and women, many of whom were fantastically 
disguised. Some were seated, others standing ; but the High 
Priest of the ceremonies had not yet arrived. 

"And who," said I to Mrs. Bradish, "conducts the meeting 
to-night ?" 

" Brother Smith," she answered. 
i 11 What ; Joe Smith !" 

" Brother Joseph Smith, and since the advent of Jesus Christ, 
the world has never seen a greater. I am ready to exclaim 
with Simeon of old ' Now, Lord, lettest thou thy servant depart 
in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.' " 

" Was it possible," thought I, " that a woman of such a dig- 
nified and intellectual countenance could be the dupe of a vile man. 
I remembered Joe Smith, as an ignorant, stupid dolt of a fellow, 
who presence was never tolerated in good society. Mrs. Bradish 
disturbed my revery by whispering that Brother Smith had 
arrived. There was a slight stir, a murmur of applause in the 
apartment ; I raised my eyes ; side by side with Mr. Ward, at 
the further end of the room, stood a tall, elegant-looking man, 
with dark piercing eyes, and features, which if not handsome, 
were imposing. His manners, too, were wonderfully improved. 
The centre of all eyes, he seemed neither shy, embarrassed, nor 
reserved, neither was there anything bold or forward in his 
appearance. How unlike the lazy, impudent Joe Smith, of my 



20 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



memory. I whispered to Mrs. Bradish, " whence came this Mr. 
Smith ?» 

" He has been out West," she answered, " in company with a 
party of the saints, who have settled in the Promised Land, the 
Canaan, on the other side of Jordan." 

This struck me as exceedingly laughable and ludicrous. 

Smith now commenced speaking, and the utmost silence pre- 
vailed. His discourse was on the nature of miracles, and the 
promise of Christ to his followers, that miraculous powers 
should attend them, even to the end of the world. I observed 
that he quoted much more from the Hebrew Scriptures, than the 
Book of Mormon, and remarked the same to Mrs. Bradish. 

" That is perfectly consistent," she answered, " since much 
that is contained in one Bible, is to be found in the other. 
They harmonize perfectly ; that is, we make them." 

The sermon was very short, in order that more time might be 
employed in the performance of miracles. At its close the light 
was removed from the desk, and placed in a socket directly over 
it. Smith then knelt, the others followed his example, and the 
whole company remained some time in silent prayer. At length 
he rose, the others still knelt. After a moment's silence he 
uttered the solemn and impressive words : 

" It is my word, saith the Lord, ye shall be delivered from 
death, which is the power of the devil, from sorrow and sighing. 
Therefore, in the might of the Spirit, I command you, bring 
forth your dead I" 

The deep stillness which succeeded these words was awfully 
impressive. The door slowly opened, and two men entered 
bearing a corpse. It was the body of a young and beautiful 
female, clad in the white habiliments of death, and looking, Oh ! 
how ghastly and ghostly in the dim obscurity of the uncertain 
light. The limbs were stiff and rigid, the eyes and mouth 
partially open, and the whole aspect of the countenance that of 



The Frantic Mother. 



21 



death. The bearers stretched her on the desk. Smith turned 
to them with an expression of feature I could not fathom ; 
Ward stood beside him, and I detected him glancing more than 
once at myself. 

" Whose child is this ?" said Smith. 

" Mine," answered one of the men, solemnly. 

" Did she die suddenly ?" 

" She did." 

"When ?" 

" This afternoon." 

" Believest thou ?" 

" I believe," said the man, impressively, " help thou my 
unbelief." 

" Did this child believe ?" 

" She was a believer." 

" 'Tis well ; thy child shall be restored." 

There was a faint shriek from the group of spectators, and a 
woman, whom I subsequently ascertained to be the mother of 
the dead, rushed forward and threw herself at the feet of 
Smith. 

"Restore my child," she cried, passionately ; "she was too 
young, too good, and too beautiful to die. Restore her, and I 
will worship you for ever." 

" Woman, I said it," he replied ; then turning to the company 
he said, "let some one of the sisters look after this woman, she 
must not be permitted to interfere." 

Mrs. Bradish went forward, and raising the woman, led her 
to a seat. 

"Let the believers rise," resumed Smith, "and sing the 
Hallelujah Chant." 

A moment after the strain begun, low at first, but swelling 
out wild and tumultuous as the enthusiasm increased, and the 
passions of the assembly were brought into exercise. 



22 



Female Life among the Mormons, 



When Nephi came out of Palestine, 
And Tehi from among the heathen, 

The great and mighty ocean was driven back before them; 

The mountains fled away ; 

The hills sunk in the lakes, 

And the rivers were dried up. 

Then was life brought back from death, 

And souls restored from the grave, 

By the mighty power of faith. 

Hallelujah ! 
And it shall be so again, 

Hallelujah ! 
Even now our eyes behold it, 

Hallelujah! 
The pale, cold corpse is waking, 

Hallelujah ! 
Strength is returning to its limbs, 

Hallelujah ! 
We shall see her again as we have seen her, 

Hallelujah ! 
In the pride and beauty of life, 

Hallelujah ! 
With no cerements clinging to her bosom, 

Hallelujah ! 

It comes, the power of the Most High God for ever, 
Hallelujah ! 

He has listened to the voice, of His servant and Apostle, 
Hallelujah! 

He has arrested the might of death at His bidding, 
Hallelujah ! 

As He did at the bidding of Moses and Elijah, 
Hallelujah! 

As he did at the bidding of Christ and Saul of Tarsus, 
Hallelujah! 

The intense interest of the scene, however, became too deeply 
absorbing for singing. Yoice after voice ceased until the 
whole company relapsed into the most profound silence. 
Smith meanwhile stood beside the apparently dead body. He 
pressed and stroked the head, breathed into the month, and 
rubbed the frigid limbs, saying in a deep, low tone, " Live thou 
again, young woman. Let sight return to these eyes, now 
sightless, and strength to these limbs, now nerveless. Let life, 
and vigor, and animation, inspire this wasted frame." 



The Dead Quickened. 



23 



Presently there was a slight movement of the muscles, the 
eyes opened and shut, the arms were flung out and then brought 
together again ; and at last the body sat up. The effect on 
the assembly was electrical. The mother fell into violent 
hysterics ; many of the females shrieked, others sobbed, Mrs. 
Bradish trembled violently ; and what shall I say of myself ? I 
stood gazing, absorbed, almost incapable of sense or motion ; 
my reasoning faculties altogether at fault on such a subject. A 
voice breathed in my ear, " Dost thou now believe ?" 

I turned ; Mr. Ward was at my side. 

" I am astonished, if not convinced," I answered. 

" You have seen the dead restored to life. Look ; she speaks 
and walks." 

I looked, it was indeed, as he said. She had descended from 
the table, and with her grave clothes on, was making the circuit 
of the room, leaning on the arm of Smith. Oh ! for language to 
express my feelings as she approached me. Oh ! the awe, the 
reverence attending the presence of one who had tasted the 
mystery of death, and been plucked from the hand of the king 
of terrors ; who had known by awful experience the fearful com- 
bat with the last great enemy ; yet there was nothing pertaining 
to death about her now. Her cheeks were flushed with life and 
health, her eyes sparkled with animation, and her rounded and 
voluptuous form contrasted strangely with her ghastly habili- 
ments. She retired in company with a sister to change her dress, 
while Smith again took his station at the further end of the 
room. 

"If any believer is lame, or rheumatic, or deaf, or blind, let 
him have faith, and come forth to be cured. The power exer- 
cised on earth by Jesus of Nazareth is delegated to me," he said, 
in a loud voice. 

A moment after an old man hobbled along , he was lame with 
rheumatism. 

"Believest thou ?" said Smith. 



24 Female Life among the Mormons. 



" Lord ; I believe F and he laid his hand on his breast 
impressively. 

u How long have you been lame ?" 

"For a long time, I was a Revolutioner 

" Never mind that/' said Smith, stooping to rub and manipu- 
lute the part affected. " Have faith in God, and thou shalt be 
made whole." 

Could I believe my eyes ; in a few minutes he walked around 
the room without crutch or staff. A deaf person next advanced. 
The same questions were propounded to him, and answered 
in the same manner. Smith breathed upon him, made a few 
strokes and passes, put his fingers in the ears of the patient, and 
then addressed him in a low voice. He heard perfectly well ; 
the deafness had departed. In the same manner a woman par- 
tially blind, was restored to sight, and others who were, or 
believed themselves to be sick, were restored to health. At 
that time I was ignorant of the power of mesmeric influence, 
and the strange proceedings enacted there and then, were conse- 
quently the more astounding and unaccountable.* I found it 
impossible to reconcile what I had seen with any known laws of 
physical agencies ; my mind was in a tumult of doubt and per- 
plexity. It was by the exercise of such power, and the 
performance of such deeds as these, that Smith acquired his 
wonderful influence. It is not strange that those who felt their 
diseases removed, who found their senses restored, and who even 
believed themselves to have been recovered from death, should 
attribute divine power and inspiration to the man, who so far 
exceeded ordinary mortals in that particular at least ; that 
they should fear to offend him, and obey his bidding with an 
alacrity that bordered on servility ; nor did the exhibition of his 
power cease with the recovery of diseases. 

" Brother Babcock," he said, " will you take this chair ?" a 
chair had been brought in for the purpose. 

" You have nothing to fear, you are my friend ; but I wish to 

* Joseph Smith was one of the earliest practitioners in Animal Magnetism ; and it was the use of thia 
power at that time, that convinced his disciples of his supposed miraculous gifts. 



Interruption of the Meeting. 



25 



manifest to all, the power which the Almighty has vouchsafed to 
me, and how, when I please, I can deal with my enemies." 

Babcock advanced timidly ; he feared to refuse, yet hesitated 
to obey. Seated in the chair, Smith took a station opposite, 
looked him directly in the face, motioned his arms towards him, 
passed his hands along the body and extremities of the subject, 
when the eyes of the latter closed, his limbs became palsied, 
without feeling or motion, and every sense and perception seemed 
closed to external objects. 

" You see now/ 7 said Smith, pointing towards Babcock, " you 
see the power which God has delegated to me, you cannot doubt 
how immediately with a motion of my hands and a glance of my 
eyes, I could transform my enemies to lifeless, senseless, lumps 
of clay ; how I could deprive them of their senses, or compel 
them to do my bidding, even to take their own lives." 

" But we are friends," called out several, who were evidently 
afraid that he would exercise his power over them. 

"Certainly, you be," he answered; "I heal my friends, but 
smite my enemies, even as Paul smote Elymus, the sorcerer." 
With a motion or two of his hands, Smith restored Babcock to 
his strength and senses ; others were then invited to come forth 
to be operated on. But all declined on the ground that they 
were perfectly satisfied, and needed no further proof to convince 
them of the greatness of his power. 

Two or three times, during the last half hour, I had fancied 
something unusual was going on outside the house, such as the 
trampling of feet, and the drawing of a heavy body along the 
ground. Suddenly, at this juncture, a noise, loud as the loudest 
clap of thunder, or the discharge of artillery, resounded through 
the house, the windows rattled, the door flew open, and a party of 
half drunken men and boys rushed into the room. One single 
friendly voice, which I knew to be that of Ward, called out to 
the Mormons, " disperse for your lives." I heard the opening 

% 



26 Female Life among the Mormons. 



and shutting of doors, the screams of women, and the vocifera- 
tions of men. The light had been immediately extinguished, 
and all involved in utter darkness. I felt a strong arm thrown 
around my waist, and myself forcibly drawn along a passage 
into another apartment. Then a voice whispered, "be not 
alarmed, you are safe. 7 ' It was Mrs. Bradish. 
What does it all mean ?" I inquired. 

"We have long been obliged to hold our meetings in the 
latter part of the night, and to employ as much secres^ as pos- 
sible, on account of the mobs, who seek every occasion to raise 
a disturbance. But the Saints must be content to endure per- 
secution. It has been their lot in all ages of the world." 

"My dear madam," I replied, "you view the matter in a 
very consolatory light." 

" Troubles, and trials, and tribulations in this world, or until 
we reach the Promised Land ; peace and happiness in the 
next." 

" But why does not Mr. Smith exercise his wondrous power 
for the destruction of his enemies ?" 

" Oh ! he is too merciful, too lamb-like for that ; but hark, 
the ruffians are returning in fall force." 

We could plainly hear the trampling of many feet, a confused 
mixture of voices blending in curses and execrations ; next, a 
volley of stones were fired at the house, smash went the win- 
dows, the doors slammed and banged. 

" They are now in the house/' said Mrs.- Bradish, " but if we 
are perfectly still I scarcely think that they will discover us." 

I trembled from head to foot with apprehension. " Is it pos- 
sible," I said, " that they are looking for us ?" 

" Not exactly for us," she answered. " When the mob broke 
into the house, the brethren fled ; the mob pursued, and proba- 
bly not finding those they wished to abuse, have come back here 
to make further search." 



The Mob and its Victim. 



" Are any concealed in the house ?" 
" I suppose so," she answered ; " heaven preserve them." 
" Amen !" was my hearty response, for the noise and confusion 
was becoming truly frightful. 

" They are destroying your furniture — hark !" 
" Yes, I hear." 

Anouher moment, and the piercing shrieks of a woman rose 
wild and shrill above the other voices, 

" Oh, mercy ! mercy ! Indeed I cannot tell you, for I know 
not where he is." 

" Fool ! liar ; you shall tell. I'll pull every lock of your hair 
out by the roots. Where is Joe Smith ? say : won't tell — then 
here goes," cried a sharp, stern voice. 

" Dcn't kill me ; don't kill me," shrieked the woman again. 
There was a wild burst of laughter, and the screams became 
shriller. 

"I cannot, and v/ill not bear this," said Mrs. Bradish. 
" Stay here while I go to her assistance." 
" If you go, I go too." 

"Well take this, then," and she thrust a loaded pistol into 
my hand, and whispered : " Be perfectly silent." 

I took her arm, and we glided along to the room where the 
noise told us that the mob had assembled. 

We paused in the shadow of the door to reconnoitre. A 
bright fire was burning within, for' the villains had broken the 
chairs and other furniture, and taken them for wood. In the 
centre of the apartment, surrounded by her tormentors, stood 
the helpless victim of lawless rage, and in her I instantly recog- 
nized the female who, in my presence that night, had been 
recovered from the power of death. They were crowding 
around her, pulling her hair, pinching, striking and abusing her 
in every conceivable manner. The form of Mrs. Bradish seemed 
to dilate, her eye to burn, and every feature to glow with 



23 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



intense passion, as she advanced towards them, stood a moment 
like a Pythoness, and cried " Stop I" 
Every eye tnrned towards her. 

"What do you mean," she continued, "breaking into my 
house at this time of night, and conducting in this manner ? 
Begone, every one of you 1" 

" We are after Joe Smith. Where is he V* they answered. 

"I don't know where he is, and if I did, I wouldn't tell 
you." 

" You do know, and you shall tell us," said one, who appeared 
to be the leader. 

" Roast her in the fire, yonder, that will fetch her to her 
speech," said another. 

" Yes ! yes ! roast her ; pretty woman she is, concealing 
that vagabond. I dare say he is in her bedroom." 

Here the ruffians set up a loud laugh, and advanced towards 
her. 

" The first one who lays the weight of his finger on me is a 
dead man," said Mrs. Bradish. 

" Show fight, eh ! but we ain't afraid of petticoats. On to 
her, boys." 

They rushed upon her ; two pistols exploded the same instant. 
Two of the villains reeled and fell groaning ; two more received 
the weapons themselves hurled by her han^d with deadly effect ; 
the others drew back, for she stood calm, yet terrible with sup- 
pressed passion, and brandishing a long, glittering knife. 

" Come on," she cried, with the voice of a lioness, "come on, 
every mother's son of you. Oh ! there'll be two or three vil- 
lains on this earth of knaves and fools the less. Thieves ! mur- 
derers ! house-breakers ! you ain't prepared to fight. Cowards ! 
wretches ! how I hate and despise you ! Now, sneak off home, 
poor, pitiful dogs, and tell your confederates that you were 
beaten by a woman." 



Female Heroism. 



29. 



The poor girl, the moment she beheld Mrs. Bradish, rushed 
towards her, and now knelt clinging to her garments, and weep- 
ing like an infant. 

" Don't weep so, poor child/ 1 said the former, soothingly. 
" They shall torture you no more. Oh ! they can amuse them- 
selves with the cries and agonies of the helpless ; cowardly 
knaves and midnight assassins as they be." 

One of the more resolute advanced towards her, and received 
a desperate wound in the shoulder. The whole party seemed 
satisfied with this, and gathering up their wounded companions 
beat a hasty retreat. 

"We are clear of them at last," said Mrs. Bradish. "Did 
they hurt you much, Ellen, dear ; that is, injure you seriously ?" 
she continued. 

" I don't know that they did ; they just wished to tease and 
torture me, and I was so frightened," said Ellen. 

" Well, dear, compose yourself ; and you, too, Miss B ," 

said Mrs. Bradish, turning to me, " I fear that this night's 
agitation will injure your health." 

I assured her that she need have no anxiety on that account, 
and that probably the excitement would do me good. 

"Well, at any rate, you require rest and slumber," she said, 
and lighting a small lamp, she accompanied me to my room. 
Ellen, I learned, would share her chamber, and both bade me 
"good-night" affectionately. The day was just breaking, but 
overcome by fatigue and excitement, I retired to bed, and after 
some time spent in thought, fell asleep. 



30 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



CHAPTER III. 

MORMON VEXATIONS. 

THE morning was far advanced, when a slight tap at the 
door awakened me. I instantly rose, finished my toilet 
hastily, and opened it. Mrs. Bradish extended her hand with a 
sweet smile, and " How do you find yourself this morning, 
dear ?» 

" Quite well, I thank you." 

She then informed me that Ward had called, and inquired for 
me, and invited me to walk down and meet him at breakfast. 
Is it necessary to say, that I felt gratified by the attention, or 
that I bestowed more than usual care on my toilet that 
morning ? 

We found Mr. Ward in the parlor with Ellen. He looked 
exceedingly well, and led me to a seat. 

" I am very much concerned," he said, " that you should have 
been exposed to the reckless fury of the mob ; when the villains 
pursued us, I had no idea that they would return to attack the 
house." 

" For my part," said Mrs. Bradish, jocosely, " I think it will 
have a salutary effect on Miss B . She has learned some- 
thing of the violence and lawless character of our enemies, and 
I tell you we have done things up for them." 

" Mrs. Bradish is brave as a lion," I said. 

"As to that," she answered, " I'll own to having some blood 
in my veins, and then the manner in which us, free citizens, have 



Grievous Annoyances. 31 

been treated, just for presuming to exercise the right of opinion, 

is really outrageous. Miss B knows nothing about it yet. 

We were prevented from baptizing our converts in the day-time, 
by the maltitudes of men and boys, who would gather with 
drums, horns, and frying-pans, and shout, yell, and dance, with 
all manner of hideous noises and antics. Then we concluded to 
have our baptisms privately in the night ; but the wretches 
found it out, and went and collected all the carrion in the coun- 
try, which was no small quantity, and taking it to the water, 
threw it in, precisely in the place where the administrators were 
accustomed to enter, with the expectation that the holy man 
would thereby be denied with filth. On another occasion, when 
the night was very dark, and we had only one small lantern, in 
order to avoid observation as much as possible, the trees along 
the bank of the stream were suddenly illuminated by the^most 
hideous and awful-looking faces that mortal eyes ever beheld ; 
many were so frightened that they ran shrieking from the 
place." 

" What were they ?" I inquired. 

" We subsequently ascertained that a party of boys had 
ascended the trees, with a parcel of gourd-shells cut in a fright- 
ful manner, with candles in the cavities, which, being lit on a 
preconcerted signal, gave them the terrifying appearance we 
witnessed." 

" Did you run, Mrs. Bradish ?" inquired Ward. 

"Now, Mr. Ward, you know better than to ask that; you 
know very well that I did not ; you are perfectly aware, that if 
Anna Bradish ever runs from boys or gourd-shells, the time has 
yet to come." 

" I believe so," said Ward. 

"Was any one of your people injured in the fracas of last 
night ?" I inquired. 

" None mortally, that I have heard of, but Hannah Donnelly 



32 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



was nearly frozen by being thrown down, tied neck and foot, 
and rolled in the snow for a foot-ball," said that gentleman. 

" The wretches," said Mrs. Bradish, " how I wish that I had 
been there." 

" ~No, Mrs. Bradish," I answered, " we could not possibly 
have done without you last night." 

"Then my presence was required in two places at one 
time." 

" In half a dozen places, you might have said," cried Ward : 
" for they tied Betsy Basset to a stump, and then heaped snow 
on her, till she was buried five or six feet beneath the surface." 

" And what else." 

" Stripped Hetty Camel entirely nude, and left her to make 
the best of her way home." 

"I shouldn't suppose she tarried long on the route," said 
Ellen, composedly. 

" Oh ! the wretches," said Mrs. Bradish, "but I done for two 
of them ; what next ?" 

" The last that I have seen of Brother Bradley, he was going 
off on a rail, borne by four stout fellows, who were singing 
lustily : 

" 4 Mormon came across the ocean, 

All through storm, and wind, and hail, 
And if we had him here this evening, 
We would ride him on a rail.' " 

" Oh ! the blasphemous infidels !" said Mrs. Bradish, " I 
wonder that fire don't come down out of heaven and devour 
them." 

Breakfast was now served, but the conversation continued. 

"I subsequently heard," resumed Ward, "that they carried 
that good brother to the Creek, cut a hole in the ice, and 
ducked him three or four times." 

" Horrible 1" 



Ridiculous Catastrophe. 



" He arrived at home, however ; but more dead than alive, 
with his clothes frozen to his body." 

"Did you ever hear the beat, Miss B ?" said Mrs. 

Bradish, indignantly. " And those people had done nothing at 
all to excite the malice of their tormentors, except, indeed, to 
differ from them in opinion." 

" It was certainly too bad." 

" You know how exceedingly timorous old Mr. Wood is," 
resumed Ward. 

" I know that he is." 

"Well, the ruffians surrounded him, it seems through clear 
deviltry ; talked, hooted, halloed, and made him think that 
something dreadful was to pay. However, he succeeded in 
breaking from them, at last, and his thoughts naturally reverted 
to his son Neddy ; he tore down the street like a locomotive 
broke loose, for he is exceedingly fat, screaming at the top of 
his voice : ' Neddy ! Neddy ! Neddy I' Arrived at his home, he 
was too badly frightened to wait and open the gate, so he burst 
through it ; and, instead of going into the house, could not find 
the door, and ran around it three times, when, seeing the hen- 
house open, he rushed into it, and carefully ensconced himself in 
one corner. The outraged poultry flew out, shrieking and squal- 
ing, just as Neddy, who had discovered that something unusual 
was going on, came out of the house." 

" That was rather ludicrous than otherwise, as it seems no 
one was injured," I observed. 

Mrs. Bradish thought otherwise ; she could not see anything 
laughable in the affair : did not believe in frightening people out 
of their senses ; and, finally, ended with assuming there would 
be neither peace nor rest for the saints on earth. 

" Their inquiries here were for Smith, and I suppose that if 
they could have found him, they would have let the others 
alone," I observed. 

2* 



34 



Female Life among the Mohmons. 



" That may be ; but lie is altogether beyond their power." 
" Think so ?" 

( 1 1 know it. Christ was annoyed by the presence of the 
devil, but the enemy had no power over him. I have seen 
Brother Smith in situations of peril that would have alarmed an 
ordinary man, yet it never moved him a hair." 

"I believe," said Mr. Ward, " that we had better take 
Brother Smith's advice — dispose of our property as we best can, 
and remove West. We shall always be exposed to persecutions 
here, among these heathen ; there we can raise a pure and 
acceptable vineyard to the Lord, and sit under our own vines 
and fig-trees, with no one to make us afraid." 

" As to that," replied Mrs. Bradish, " I am not afraid here. 
The law allows me the privilege of self-defence, and that is about 
all I ask." 

"But all are not so courageous as yourself," said Mr. Ward. 
" I remember very well when the crackers and blue-lights came 
dancing through the school-house, you were the only one who 
retained anything like presence of mind. You must pity the 
weaker brethren." 

Mrs. Bradish was never displeased with compliments on her 
superior courage ; and, beginning to be interested in the recital 
of these incidents, which, though vexations to the Mormons, 
partook largely of a ludicrous character, I inquired in what way 
blue-lights and school-houses were connected. 

" It surpasses the bounds of belief," said Mrs. Bradish. 
"What infinite pains our enemies have taken to torment and 
perplex us. You see it was in the first days of Mormonism, the 
devil had not become so rampant and roaring as he has since, 
and we were accustomed to hold meetings in the school-house. 
Brother Smith generally presided ; at other times, we had the 
services of Brother Harris. Both were present on the occasion 
of which I am speaking : the exercises were highly interesting, 



Proposition to Move West. 



35 



and Brother Smith was relating a vision with which he had been 
favored, when a large ball, apparently of fire, descended from a 
hole in the ceiling overhead. It was immediately followed by a 
discharge of innumerable small crackers and snap-dragons, which 
flew hopping, hissing, and fizzing in every direction. I believe 
every one in the house got out the best way they could, except 
myself. I stuck to the ship ; and, when the shower slackened, 
piled the benches one above the other, mounted them, and thrust 
my head through the aperture. About half-a-dozen youngsters 
vvere up in the loft, and the alarm had been occasioned for their 
amusement." 

" Many of the Mormons have gone West," said Mr. Ward, 
u and others are preparing to follow. The plan is, doubtless, a 
good one ; and believers cannot do better than fall in with it." 

" I have thought much of it lately myself," said Mrs. Bradish, 
" and have come to the conclusion to go with the rest ; and, as I 
have neither child nor chick in the world, to leave my property 
to the church when I have done with it — thereby building up 
the temporal prosperity of Zion." 

" The plan is excellent," said Ward. 

" Your father will go, Ellen, will he not ?" said Mrs. Bradish. 

" I suppose so," said Ellen, thoughtfully. 

" But, my love, why are you so sad and moody this morning ?" 
said Mrs. Bradish ; "you have scarcely spoken a word, and we 
can all testify that you have eaten nothing. 7 ' 

Ellen smiled sadly, and, after a short time, rose from the table 
and said she felt very ill. 

" The effects of your recent fright," said Mrs. Bradish. " Go 
to my chamber ; rest and compose yourself." 

Ellen left the room. 

" Poor girl ! I pity her," said Mrs. Bradish. 
" And I almost envy her." 

" Why so ?" said Mrs. Bradish, with a look of astonishment. 



36 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" How can you ask, after what I witnessed last night ? How 
I longed to inquire of her what were the sensations of dying — 
what her knowledge of the Dread Unknown — and whether she 
did not regret her restoration to earth ; but fearing to agitate 
or distress her, I had not the heart to allude to the subject in 
her presence." 

A peculiar expression, which I found it impossible to inter- 
pret, flitted over the countenance of Ward. 

" It is well you did not," said Mrs. Bradish ; "she has more 
trouble than some of us." 

" She seems young." 

" She is young ; but youth is rather favorable to love. Her 
afflictions are of that nature. In short, Ellen was betrothed to 
Henry Manners, about one year since. The young man appeared 
good-tempered and amiable, and there was every prospect of a 
happy match, till Ellen, with her family, embraced the truth of 
Mormon. This made him outrageous. He sought an interview 
with her, to ascertain the fact, and then sternly and at once 
revoked his promise — told her to go with the scoundrels, and 
never let him see her face again. But he softened a little, 
after that ; obtained another interview, and sought by threats, 
entreaties, and even tears, to change her purpose, but she 
remained inflexible ; and since that time, he has treated her 
with studied neglect. An effort was made to induce him to join 
with us, but he threatened to horsewhip the elder who visited 
him, accused Brother Smith of all manner of deceptions, and 
raved awfully." 

" Qould not Ellen become his wife, and retain her creed ?" I 
inquired. 

"Oh, no," said Mrs. Bradish. "The saints are not permitted 
to intermarry with the heathen." 

" And you regard all as heathens who are not Mormons ?" 
" So the Scriptures regard them," said Mrs. Bradish. 



A Startling Proposition. 



" Not exactly," said Mr. "Ward, seeing that I rather winced 
under the appellation. A rapid glance was exchanged between 
the two, and the lady said : 

" Oh, well, maybe I was rather too fast in making that asser- 
tion. However, Miss B , we should be extremely happy to 

reckon you a sister. In short, why cannot you give up this 
idea of visiting your relatives, and become one of us t n 

" I should not make a good devotee," was my reply. " I 
have little faith in dreams or visions ; and I understand that 
these are the chief bases of Mormonism." 

"But, my dear, you must not believe mere rumors without 
proof,' 7 said Mrs. Bradish. " You are the very person I desire 
for a companion on my journey. Your relatives cannot do 
better by you than I will. How long since you have seen 
them ?" 

" It has been some years," I replied. 

" Were they aware of your intended visit ?" 

" They were not." 

"Allow me, then, Miss B , as a person of more expe- 
rience than yourself, to suggest that you write them a letter 
with the information, desiring an immediate answer, and remain 
with me till you receive one." 

" Where is the necessity of that ?" I inquired. 

" If you receive an answer, with an invitation, you will be 
certain of an hospitable reception ; if no answer arrives, you 
will be spared the mortification of being treated with neglect or 
indifference. I speak plain ; but a friend of mine was actually 
turned from the door of some relatives, who even refused to 
recognize her, though they had passed the previous season at her 
residence." 

Similar incidents had fallen beneath my knowledge ; and, 
thinking it probable that the vile breath of slander had reached 
even there, the plan appeared a feasible one ; so, thanking Mrs. 



38 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



Bradish for the interest she felt in my welfare, I informed her of 

my accedence to her proposal. 

" And while you are waiting for the answer, you must consent 
to be roy guest," said the lady. 

This I readily concurred in. 

" The stage comes along to-morrow ; you can write the letter 
to-day, and I will bear it to the Post-office," said Mr. Ward. 
The letter was accordingly written and dispatched. 



SUNDRY MORMON MATTERS. 

HILE waiting for the invitation to visit my relatives, I 



had frequent opportunities of seeing the Mormon leaders. 
They professed great piety and great faith — talked much of their 
persecutions and troubles — and were loud in their praises and 
confident in their expectations of happiness in the Promised 
Land. Mrs. Bradish, as a person of large property, seemed to 
be held by them in great consideration. She delighted to be 
considered a sort of priestess among them, and they were willing 
to indulge her pardonable vanity. Smith came once or twice, 
but said little to me, or any one. He was not calculated by 
nature or education to shine in general conversation, and so he 
wisely forbore remark. 

Mr. Ward was a constant visitor ; and, before a week had 
elapsed, made me a formal offer of his hand, and introduced me 
to his children. I had expected as much, and was prepared with 
an answer. 

" I cannot embrace Mormonism." 



CHAPTER IY. 




Mr. Ward offers his Hand and Heart. 



39 



" I shall not require you to," he answered. " Be my wife and 
the mother of these orphaus, and I shall be too happy to attempt 
your conversion to that faith." 

" But I thought marriage was interdicted between members 
of the church and unbelievers." 

"It is, if the husband, or he who aspires to that situation, 
is an unbeliever ; but unbelieving females are gladly welcomed 
to the marriage rite with believing husbands." 

" And wherefore the difference?" 

" Circumstances alter cases, you know." 

He then drew a glowing picture of the western country ; said 
we need not live in the midst of the Mormon settlement, but 
only on the suburbs, and held out the various inducements of 
wealth, position, and respectability. 

" Mr. Ward," I answered, candidly, " there is no use in deny- 
ing that you have made an impression on my mind, and yet I 
cannot find it in my heart to consent to marry you on so short 
an acquaintance, especially when I recollect that you are a 
Mormon." 

" But you would not repudiate an honest man for his 
opinions ?" 

I made no answer. 

" You cannot, Miss B you are too much of a republican, 

for that belief is not governed by will, but proof. You have 
seen with your own eyes the miraculous exhibitions of divine 
power that attends our doctrines. In your presence, the dead 
have been restored to life, the deaf made to hear, the blind to 
see, and the lame to walk. If I regard these evidences sufficient 
to substantiate my faith, and you look upon them as insufficient, 
wherefore is my credulity more to blame than your unbelief ?" 

" There is nothing to blame in either case," I answered; " but 
how can two walk together except they be agreed ?" 

" By agreeing to disagree ; you are to have perfect liberty to 



40 Female Life among the Mormons. 

believe as you see fit; to attend the Mormon meetings only when 
you see proper. I require the same liberty; if granted all will 
go well." 

These, and similar arguments, silenced my objections ; but, 
requiring a wee k to consider of it, I determined to be governed 
by the circumst; inces connected with the proposed visit. How- 
ever, as no lette r had arrived at the expiration of the week, I 
consented to be h Is wife. 

Jlrs. Bradish w as profuse in her congratulations, and insisted 
that we should a bide with her till our removal West. The 
children of Mr. AVard were likewise domiciled in the same 
dwelling. The ma rriage took place privately. The ceremony 
being first performe d by a gentleman who was introduced to me 
as a Justice of the Peace. It was then performed after the 
Mormon ritual, whic h, however, differs but little from the other, 
to satisfy the consc ience of my husband. Mrs. Bradish was 
present as a witness. She shook my hand warmly, pressed my 
cheek, called me her spiritual sister, and said she was now 
certain of meeting me in heaven, as the unbelieving wife would 
be sanctified by the hi isband. 

You ask if I was t *appy, and satisfied with the lot I had 
chosen. At times I w 7 as not ; for it seemed that some undue 
influence had been exe rcised over me, though of its character I 
had no definite idea. I seemed to have been cajoled and 
brought into the measi ire, rather as a third person than chief 
actor ; but there was n o retreat, and nothing remained but to 
make the best of it. 

My step-children were docile, amiable and affectionate ; both 
girls, Mary and Martha- ; both beautiful and well educated for 
their ages, which were seven and nine. Their mother died 
when the youngest was born ; but they had experienced a 
mother's care and atten tion from their aunt. The good lady 
wept bitterly when bidd ing them adieu; conjured me to be a 



The Young Wife has Strange Fears. 



41 



mother to them. I answered, " to the best of my ability, I 
will." 

" Your countenance is good," she said, observing me with 
tearful eyes ; "lam something of a physiognomist, and I fear 
that you have been deceived." 

" By whom V 

" The Mormons." 

"I am not one of them." 

" Yet you are amongst them, and exposed to all their arts,, 
wiles and deceptions." 

" I hope to be able to take care of myself." 

"Probably you may, yet it is my greatest grief that these* 
dear children must be brought up among them ;" then affection- 
ately kissing her darlings, she bade me farewell. 

Mrs. Bradish soon found a purchaser for her property. Mr; 
Ward also disposed of his possessions ; but, to my great aston- 
ishment, I was not required to be pTesent at tiie consummation 
of the bargain. Mr. Ward said it was no matter j that the 
purchaser felt no apprehension of trouble from my claims. 
" You are my wife spiritually ; my wife for this world and the 
next ; but you must cling to me, believe in me, and accept me 
as your spiritual head." 

" Excuse me, my husband," I replied, " but I fail to appre- 
hend your meaning. Am I not your temporal wife, as well as 
spiritual ?" 

Probably fearing to initiate me further into the mysteries of 
Mormon marriage at this early period of our union, he £ame 
towards me with his arms extended, " you are my beioved,'* he 
said, "and no power on earth, but our voluntary T*ul* *sn 
separate us." 

" And can our voluntary wills do it ?" 

" Certainly, we need not cohabit unless we choose* 

" But cohabitation is not marriage." 



42 Female Life among the Mormons. 



" In one sense it is 

" In a legal sense it is not ; because married people, through 
life, are bound to each other, and neither absence nor distance 
can break the tie." 

" Oh well ; we will not dispute about trifles." 

" But marriage is no trifle." 

" If marriage in itself is not, the peculiar form in which it is 
celebrated is. However, make yourself easy ; consult Mrs. 
Bradish on matters of religion or domestic economy, and you 
will do well." 

Saying this, he arose and left the house. I pondered long on 
this conversation, but without coming to a definite conclusion as 
to his exact meaning, or the tenor of his remarks. I could not 
divest myself of the impression that more was implied than 
spoken. Then I knew nothing of Mormon views of marriage. 
I have since learned them to my cost. 

Though the Mormons held no more meetings, they had con- 
tinual accessions of new converts, chiefly the disaffected members 
of other churches, and several females. Among these latter was 
a Mrs. Clarke, who had become accidentally acquainted with 
Smith and his tenets. Her husband was a very fine man, in good 
circumstances; and herself the mother of three beautiful children. 
She came, in company with Smith, to the residence of Mrs. 
Bradish, and he introduced her to that lady as a well-beloved 
daughter of the church, who was ready to forsake all for the 
love of truth. They conversed together for some time, and it 
was finally decided that Mrs. Clarke should reside with her 
spiritual sister. I learned from Mrs. Bradish that her husband 
was ignorant of her destination or her attachment to the 
Mormons. He succeeded in discovering it, however ; for, in 
about a week, he came for her. At first she refused to see him ; 
but as he threatened to call in the officers of the law, Mrs. 
Bradish advised her to comply. 



Domestic Happiness Destroyed. 



43 



" You know, dear," she said, " that he cannot compel you to 
return with him, unless you wish to." 

" I must not, I cannot go back," she anwered ; " I have 
taken a fearful oath that I will not, I." 

" You regard your professions in a very serious light," said 
Mrs. Bradish, interrupting her. 

" I think any one would. My oaths " 

" Oh well, dear, you are agitated now, and your husband 
is coming in." 

Mr. Clarke came in. He looked pale, sad, and disconsolate ; 
and it even seemed that his eyes bore traces of recent tears. 
He advanced towards his wife, who averted her face. 

" Look at me, Laura," he said ; " in what have I offended ?" 

" You are the serpent that would tempt me from my duty," 
she replied. 

" Say rather to your duty. You have a family, it is your 
duty to care for it." 
" It is not." 

"Woman, are you crazy? is it not a mother's duty to care 
for her babes ?" 

" That depends on circumstances." 

" To what fiend's teaching have you been listening ?" Then 
changing his tones to those of entreaty, he said, extending his 
hand, " Oh ! come, Laura, come, go home with me. Poor little 
Willie cries every day for mamma, while Caddy and Sarah were 
nearly frantic with joy when I told them that I had heard 
where you were, and was going to bring you home. Oh ! Laura, 
Laura, I cannot go back without you, to witness the sorrow and 
disappointment of the poor children ; indeed, I cannot ;" and the 
strong man, overcome by his emotions, sunk on his knees. Mrs. 
Bradish looked stern and solemn ; Mrs. Clarke covered her face 
and trembled ; for myself, I sobbed aloud. " You will go, 
won't you ?" he said, at length, rising and advancing towards her. 



44 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" Urge me no further ; for I cannot go with you." 
" Is this your last resolve ?" he said, somewhat sternly. 
"It is." 

" Then you have no regard for me, no pity for your children, 
no respect for the solemn ties of marriage. Eor a heartless, 
wandering vagabond, who is beneath the dogs of the kennel, 
you abandon your family, your home, and your friends. Have 
I not always treated you well, provided for you in health, 
watched over you in sickness ; have I not kept and preserved 
you as the apple of my eye V 7 

"You have, you have," she almost shrieked ; " but why tor- 
ture me now ?" 

" It is your conscience that tortures you," he said, solemnly. 
" Heaven grant that it be not the foretaste of the quenchless 
flame and the deathless worm ; and mark my words " — 

"Don't curse me, don't curse me," she cried, imploringly; 
"you must not curse me." 

" I curse you ? you have cursed yourself ; as you have for- 
saken me, you shall be forsaken ; as you have deserted your 
children, you shall be deserted ; as you have abandoned your 
friends, you shall be abandoned. You will not pity our distress, 
neither shall any eye pity you. And, now, weak, sinful, erring 
creature, stay with your vagabond companion till he loathes 
and hates your presence ; stay with him till he thrusts you out 
in the tempest at midnight, and takes to his bosom a younger 
and fairer bride ; but let it strike like the knell of death to your 
soul, • that whatsoever measure ye mete shall be measured to 
you again/ " and turning, he strode from the room. Mrs. 
Clarke gave one long agonizing shriek, and fell senseless to the 
floor. 

We hastened to her assistance. 

" Poor child I" said Mrs. Bradish, " she has had a hard 
struggle with her duty, but the truth triumphed." 



A Wife's Duties Defined. 



45 



We lifted her to the sofa, and Mrs. Bradish busied herself in 
procuring and applying restoratives, meanwhile remarking that 
she loved to see great sacrifices made for duty ; that those only 
were worthy of the Crown, who had borne the Cross, and that 
she had faith to believe a glorious reward would attend her in 
this world, and a richer one in the next. 

" Mrs. Bradish, this is all nonsense and humbug," I said, at 
length, rather impetuously. " It was this woman's duty to go 
with her husband : ' What God hath joined together let no 
man put asunder.' ' Let not the woman forsake her husband.' 
You cannot pretend to believe that a woman's duty ever calls 
her to abandon her helpless, innocent offspring, or her loving 
husband ; you cannot believe that duty ever compels her to 
plunge her friends and relatives in deep distress. Here is some- 
thing palpable and real ; there is mere shadow, opinion. If she 
wishes to believe in the faith of Mormon, let her do so ; but, at 
the same time, let her perform the relative and conjugal duties, 
which she assumed voluntarily. Let her comfort and cherish 
her husband, and bring up her children to virtue ; and in that 
path only can a wife and mother discharge her duty." 

Mrs. Clarke soon exhibited signs of returning consciousness. 
She opened her eyes wildly. "Where am I?" she said, "I 
thought my husband was here, and that he cursed me." 

" Oh I no," said Mrs. Bradish, soothingly j " you have been 
dreaming, darling." 

" Is no one here ?" 

" Mrs. Ward and myself only." 

" But there has been ; my husband has been ; my husband no 
longer. Oh, heaven ! that I should live to say it." 

" Compose yourself, love," said Mrs. Bradish. "Go to 
sleep, and you will feel better soon." 

Mrs. Clarke endeavored to obey, but it was clearly evident 
that she was suffering a violent mental conflict. When Mr. 



46 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



Ward was informed of the circumstances, lie called her a 
heroine and martyr, and joined with Mrs. Bradish in trying to 
establish her wavering conviction, that she had chosen wisely. 
Oh ! how I longed to persuade her to go back to the friends 
she had abandoned ; but I feared to displease my husband, and 
so remained silent. 

Subsequently Mrs. Clarke informed me how she first became 
acquainted with Smith. He visited her neighborhood, and held 
meetings, to which she was induced to go through curiosity, but 
without the knowledge of her husband. And here, meth ought, 
was the first wrong step. He should have been her confidant 
and her companion. Half the evils of married life would be 
averted if wives would confide in their husbands more, and 
their strength less. Doubtless, she would have smiled, or consi- 
dered herself insulted, had any one at that time given her this 
friendly warning. Under the pretence of visiting a sick rela- 
tive, she left her home and her babes, and night after night 
listened to the teachings of Smith, witnessed his miraculous 
powers, and finally became a convert to his doctrines. He nar- 
rowly observed her, read in her countenance the operations of 
her mind, sought and obtained an interview. What then and 
there passed, heaven only knows, but she declared herself to be 
bound to him for time and eternity. And thus an error led 
directly to a heinous crime. 

One day, a gentleman, Brother Norris, came to the house of 
Mrs. Bradish. He did not look happy, and I mentioned it. 

" He can scarcely be sorrowing for his wife," said the lady. 

" Sorrowing for his wife ?" I repeated, "Is he then a 
widower V y 

11 Not exactly, his wife is only dead to him." 
" I hardly understand you." 

" In plain terms, he left his wife to become one of us." 
" And that family is broken up." 



Deplorable Results. 



" She went back to her father. They say that she is in a 
decline, and cannot live long ; if, indeed, she is not already 
dead." 

" How cruel in him to leave her, whom he had sworn to 
cherish and protect." 

" Such things must be. She would not yield to his wishes, 
and embrace our doctrines. He could not sacrifice his soul, 
and so they parted. They say that she was governed in her 
decision by the advice of her pastor." 

" And are such things common V I said to Mrs. Bradish. 

"Not very common, yet there have been several such 
instances," she answered. "Brother Weatherby left his wife 
and ten children. Of course, some of them were able to take 
care of themselves. Others, however, were not, and one was 
an idiot." 

" What became of them ?" 

" They were put out, I believe, some to one place and some to 
another. The idiot went to the poor-house, and the youngest, 
Mrs. Weatherby supports, washing by the week." 

" Have they no property ?" 

" Some — principally in money ; but that belonged to him. 
Indeed it must have been a judgment upon her for refusing to 
receive the truth." 

"And a judgment will fall upon him, I fear for deserting 
her." 

" But he was commanded to do it." 
" By whom ?" 
" God." 

" And how by God ?" 

" Through Brother Smith." 

" Oh, Mrs. Bradish ! Can " 

" I see, Mrs. Ward," said the lady, interrupting me, " I see 
that you are yet ignorant of the most essential doctrines of 



48 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



Mormonism. Brother Smith stands in precisely the same rela- 
tion to us that Moses did to the children of Israel. In both 
cases God speaks through the mouth of his servants. Moses 
was empowered to work wonders, and do miracles, and lead the 
chosen people to the promised inheritance. Were not the Israel- 
ites commanded to spoil the Egyptians ? Suppose that some of 
the Jews had heathen wives, or that some of the Jewish women 
were united to Egyptian men. What would have been the 
command of God in this case ? Why, that the believers should 
abandon their heathen companions, and go forth with the child- 
ren of God." 

" But we are not Jews, neither are the others Egyptians." 
" That makes no difference, as the circumstances are exactly 
parallel, 

" I do not see them so." 

"Then you are one of those, who, having eyes, see not. The 
same as Moses and Elijah, Brother Smith is gifted with the fac- 
ulty and power of Revelation. Is any one doubtful what course 
to pursue, he can always explain to them the will of God in the 
matter." 

" Does he then profess to have interviews with the Divine 
Being ?" 

" He sees Him as Moses saw Him in the bush ; understands 
His will by dreams and visions, and then interprets them in the 
language of men." 

Mr. Ward now came in. 

"I am trying to instruct Mrs. Ward in the principles and 
beauties of Mormonism, and she does not prove a very apt 
learner," said Mrs. Bradish, half reproachfully. 

Mr. Ward looked as if he considered it a matter of perfect 
indifference, and other company coming in, the conversation 
became general, but all relating to Mormon matters of local 
import ; what diseased persons had been healed, what heathen 



The Doctrine of Spiritual Wives. 



*9 



converted, and what happiness would result to the faithful from 
their establishment in the Promised Land. 

I had recently seen but little of Ellen, yet the poor girl 
seemed suffering acutely, and no one pitied her. 

" How it is possible for Ellen to be so in love with that out- 
cast, is incomprehensible to me !" said Mrs. Bradish. 

" An outcast! I thought he was a very respectable 
man." 

" Oh, he is respectable in the eyes of the world, but an out- 
cast from the Saints. If her heart was where it should be, on 
spiritual things, she would cease grieving for him." 

" But all, my good friend, have not your mental stamina, and 
strength of purpose." 

" Neither do they try to have, but sit down and grieve over 
the first affliction. That is no way of doing." 

" I cannot help pitying her," I said ; "she seems so artless, 
gentle, and innocent ; so bowed down by sorrow. Could not 
your elders relax for once the stern discipline of their creed in 
her favor ? Indeed it would make me happy to see her united 
to her lover." 

"Iam astonished, Mrs. Ward, at your dullness of comprehen- 
sion ; if, indeed, it is not, as I half suspect, assumed ; our elders 
are not the originators of our creed, neither can they change the 
expressed purposes of heaven. Women can only be saved 
through their husbands. The husband is saved by faith — the 
wife is saved by the husband ; therefore, you see that she could 
not be saved if united to an unbelieving husband." 

" And if they have no husbands ?" 

" They must be the spiritual wives of some brother." 

" Will you please to enlighten me on the subject of this spirit- 
ual wifery ?" 

" I scarcely think you sufficiently initiated in the mysteries of 

3 



\ 



50 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



the faith to understand it fully. At some future time it will be 
expedient to inform you." 
Thus I was left in the dark. 



PKINGr came, soft, warm and balmy ; came as it will come 



when we have returned to dust. The Mormons had made 
every preparation for removal. They numbered fourteen fami- 
lies, besides several others who had been separated from their 
families, or who had -none. Smith was the life and soul of the 
party. He directed everything, and governed every one. In 
all cases of difference he urged a special revelation, and that set- 
tled the question. He was king, prophet, and High Priest ; 
consulted like an oracle,- and obeyed like a, god. A certain pro- 
portion of the property had been placed in the hands of Smith, 
for his disposal, while the remainder was retained in possession 
of the original proprietors. In order to avoid all contact with 
the heathen, it was decided to remove in wagons ; to take a large 
store of all necessary provisions ; and only to purchase such 
articles as were absolutely indispensable, and could not be other- 
wise obtained. Mrs. Bradish seemed in her element. It is 
impossible to form an adequate idea of that woman's activity, or 
how she flew from thing to thing, and party to party, advising 
one, consoling another, and playfully chiding a third. One sis- 
ter wished to take her carpet, and this Mrs. Bradish considered 
preposterous. 

" Take her carpet, indeed, why I sold all mine, Brussels, 



CHAPTER Y. 



mormon removals. 




A Mormon Heroine. 



61 



Ingrain and Turkey. Hers is nothing but rags, nohow great 
in bulk and weight, and nothing in value. I wonder what she 
is thinking of — but that's the way with some people ; they are 
so afraid of sacrificing something ! they ought to known what I 
sacrificed ; my fine set of Sevres China, elegant paintings, 
and antique furniture." However, the carpet was interdicted. 
Indeed, it seemed that almost every one had set his or her mind 
on some article, and designed to remove it ; and it was equally 
certain that the other members of the party would prohibit its 
removal; for each family was subject to the supervision of all the 
rest. This occasioned numberless little delays and bickerings, in 
which either Mrs. Bradish or Smith would be called in to decide 
the matter. They wished to go off secretly in the night, and 
unknown to their enemies, especially as it was currently reported 
that a mob had been organized, and that the principal bridges 
in the neighborhood were closely watched. Mrs. Bradish armed 
herself with knives and pistols, and looked a very heroine of 
romance. She had a pet palfrey that she determined to take 
along, in order to alternate the long journey between riding in 
the wagon, and on horseback, no one presumed to interfere with 
her arrangements. Mr. Ward said the plan was a good one, 
and thus it was settled. 

" By the by, Mrs. Bradish," said I, one day, " have you heard 
anything from those fellows you saluted so handsomely at the 
time of the riot ?" 

"Not a word/' she answered, "they knew better than to 
make it known, and I hardly suppose they were desperately 
wounded." 

" If they were, they deserved it, and should we «be attacked 
again, I suppose that you will be equally heroic." 

"I certainly shall; I have made preparations for such emer 
gencies. Be ye courageous, and faint not ; neither spare yom 
enemies, when ye go in to possess the good land." 



52 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



Mrs. Bradish was to go in our wagon, which contained Mr. 
Ward, myself, and the two children beside. Another wagon 
was particularly appropriated to Mrs. Clarke, Ellen, and two 
other women, whom I had not seen before ; other wagons were 
entirely laden with goods, and the teams driven by men without 
families ; those having such incumbrances rode with them in 
other wagons. The order of march being decided upon, the 
cavalcade started about midnight. The heavens were perfectly 
dark with clouds, not a star, not a moonbeam, not a sound, but 
the heavy tramp of the horses, the roll of the wagon wheels, the 
snorting and running of the cows and oxen that Were driven 
loose to furnish food by the way ; now and then a word of com- 
mand, as it passed in whispers along the line. There were 
several men on horseback, and the whole party was completely 
armed. We had gone some distance, and I began to hope that 
no danger was to be apprehended, when one of the horsemen 
rode up to our wagon, drew the curtains, and whispered some- 
thing to Mr. Ward. He instantly resigned the reins to the 
custody of Mrs. Bradish. who was accustomed to drive, dis- 
mounted without saying a word, and disappeared. • 

" I wonder what can be the matter," said I. 

"We shall know soon enough, probably," she answered. 

We moved on slowly ; then a long low cry, like that of some 
night-bird echoed through the air. It was a preconcerted signal, 
and every wagon came to a halt. Five minutes probably elapsed; 
five minutes of breathless suspense, when the curtains of our 
wagon were suddenly lifted, and a woman thrust in ; I could not 
see her face, but heard the rustle of her dress, and the sound of 
her weeping. The curtains were pulled clown again ; she found 
a seat somehow in the obscurity, and Mrs. Bradish addressed 
her by inquiring why she was weeping, but in a whisper so low 
and suppressed, that it scarcely seemed articulate. 

"My husband is coming after me," said the woman, "and I 



Difficulties Encountered. 



53 



am afraid of him. They brought me to this wagon as a place 
of greater safety. They have taken Irene to another. Oh, dear !" 

" And who is Irene ?" I was a very Eve in curiosity. 

''Irene is a young woman from our neighborhood. Her father 
was exceedingly angry when he found out that she had joined 
you, and actually threatened to shoot her, if he ever laid eyes 
on her again." 

Excited by conversation, the stranger had forgotten to weep. 

u I wonder what they are doing anyhow," said Mrs. Bradish, 
impatiently. " I've a great mind to go and see. Who wants 
to stand here all night ? Pshaw ! I'd go on, and when an 
enemy appeared, I'd fight him. How absurd to be waiting 
here." 

Presently there was a movement among the wagons beyond 
ours, and the next minute the horses were taken by the head, 
softly spoken to, and turned off in another direction. 

" It's really too bad, that Mr. Ward don't come to tell us 
what it all means," said the lady. 11 Positively I'll never forgive 
him, as long as I live." 

" I can tell you what it means," said the woman. 

" What is it then ?" said Mrs. Bradish, angrily. 

" Why the bridge down yonder, has been taken possession of 
by the mob, and they are turning off to go through the woods, 
and ford the creek higher up. I heard them say that they should 
have to do so." 

" Heard who say so ?" 

" The brethren," said the woman. 

I thought Mrs. Bradish was dissatisfied, because something 
had been undertaken without her advice and concurrence. We 
moved on through the woods, but silence was impossible. The 
wagons would creak, the ca&le run and snort, the brushwood 
crackle, and the boys halloo. Yet we passed on without being 
attacked, and finally came to the ford. This was got over with- 



54 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



out difficulty, but wheu we had journeyed two or three hundred 
yards farther, Mr. Ward came to the side of the wagon, and 
informed us that our enemies were collected, apparently in consi- 
derable numbers, at the Cross Roads, about half a mile distant ; 
"Mr. Gable," he continued, "and Harley Cook, appear to be 
the leaders. We have had a parley, and they demand that 
Irene Gable and Mrs. Cook, shall be immediately restored to 
their husband and father. If we accept these conditions, they 
will leave us to pursue our journey unmolested ; if not they will 
take the women by force." 

"That is, if they can get them," said Mrs. Bradish, "but 
what answer did you return ?" 

" That we knew nothing of such women ; and of course we 
shall not give up the ladies ) if they decide to stay with us." 

" I should prefer to stay. I am afraid of my husband, he 
threatened to shoot me ; and yet, to avoid involving you in diffi- 
culties, and prevent violence and bloodshed, perhaps I had 
better go back." 

"Not on that account ; you shall not, Mrs. Cook. We can 
muster twenty men, well armed." 

" Count me two," said Mrs. Bradish. 

"Well, twenty-two, then," resumed Mr. Ward. "But the 
greatest fear is, that the country will rise, and that we shall be 
pursued and harassed a great distance." 

Mrs. Cook was sobbing again. 

"Dry your tears, woman," said Mrs. Bradish sternly. "This 
is the time for action. Mr. Ward, I have thought of a plan 
that will, I think, work well." 

" Let's have it, quick." 

" I will take Mrs. Cook behind me on Bounding Bet (this was 
the name of the palfrey); let some other courageous woman 
take Irene on another horse. We can strike out in an easterly 
direction along that dark, unfrequented road through the Maple 



A Mormon Ruse. 



55 



Woods, and which intersects the turnpike two or three miles 
beyond the Corner, where the heathen are gathered." 
"Well, what then? 77 

" Go forward and tell .the men that the women they are in 
pursuit of are not in the company. 77 

" We have told them so already, but they would not believe 
us.' 7 

"Invite them to come and search for themselves. 77 
"They swear that they will tar and feather Smith if they 
find him. 7 ' 

" They had better say if they knew him. 77 

"I think so, too. He is so well disguised that his mother 
wouldn't know him.' 7 

" He looks 4ike a man a hundred and eighty years old,' 7 said 
Mrs. Bradish. " But come, I am in a hurry to be off. 77 

" Well, I must communicate your scheme, and see how the 
others like it. To me it looks feasible. But have you no 
fears ?' 7 

" Anna Bradish afraid ? 77 she said, contemptuously. 

" I know you are made of sterner stuff than any other 
woman I ever beheld. 77 

" Yes ! yes ! I know all that too, but be off now, and let me 
know how about it soon. 77 

Mr. Ward obeyed. He returned in a few minutes, with the 
information that the plan was approved of, and that Mrs. Stone 
volunteered to go with Irene. 

" She is an excellent horsewoman, 77 said Mrs. Bradish, " and 
Roan is almost equal to Bounding Bet.' 7 

The palfrey had been fastened behind the wagon. She was 
now brought round, and the two women quickly mounted. 
Another moment, and they were joined by Mrs. Stone and her 
charge. 

" Now give me a long rope, 7 ' said Mrs. Bradish. 77 



5 3 



Female Life amoxg the Mormons. 



" What can you want with that ?" I inquired. 

" Here, fasten this end to the pommel of my saddle. Now, 
give the other end to Mrs. Stone. We cannot possibly see 
each other in the dark woods, yet we must keep in company. 
I will put Bet in a steady easy canter. She goes like a cat. 
You do the same by Roan. And now, Mr. Ward, you know 
where the road that we are to follow intersects the other. 
Whichever party arrives there first must wait for the other. 
This shall be the signal," and she set up a cry exactly like some 
bird of night. 

" It shall be as you say," he answered, " and may Providence 
protect you." 

" Amen !" they all responded fervently. 

There was the sound of a low word, the easy shuffling of 
ambling feet, and the women were off. 

" I declare," said Mr. Ward, " the heroism of that woman 
makes me ashamed of myself. But now for the remainder of 
the drama." He then left the wagon. 

It is scarcely necessary for me to say that I felt not a par- 
ticle of that heroic spirit which animated Mrs. Bradish, or that 
I would have implored him to stay with me, had not shame 
restrained such an expression of fear. But he soon came back, 
saying that a delegation had been sent to the enemy, with an 
invitation for them to search the, wagons for themselves. 

" But is there no danger of violence from them ?" I inquired. 

"I think not," he answered. "They are not the class that 
mobs are usually composed of, but several respectable and influ- 
ential men are among them. Brother Smith's female converts 
occasion us a good deal of trouble. These men care nothing 
about our faith as Mormons, but they say that we are carrying 
off their wives and daughters, and that they will not endure it. 
When they ascertain that the women are not here, they will 
probably disperse quietly." 



The Stratagem Successful. 



5 f I 



The wagons moved on slowly, and we were soon met by the 
Committee of Search, who were headed by Cook and Gable. 
Lights were speedily produced, every curtain raised, and every 
wagon thoroughly searched, but neither wife nor daughter could 
be found. The searchers could not be satisfied. Again and 
again they looked, examined, hunted, retracing the same places 
over and over. At last Mr. Gable spoke. 

"Gentlemen/ 7 he said, addressing his comrades, "we are 
altogether at fault/ It is certain that the persons we are look- 
ing for are not here. We have been led on a false scent, and 
now I think that we owe these gentlemen our apologies, for the 
unnecessary delay and trouble we have put them to." 

Mr. Ward expressed great gratification that they were satis- 
fied, and after the exchange of mutual good wishes, we were 
permitted to move on peacefully, and the others dispersed to 
their homes. 

" And now," said I, " where are we to meet Mrs. Bradish ?" 

01 About three miles ahead." 

" It was hardly right to deceive them so." 

"Perfectly," he answered. " As the Israelites deceived and 
spoiled the Egyptians, we, as saints, may deceive and spoil the 
heathen." 

I was silenced, but not convinced, by this kind of argument. 
Mr. Ward indulged himself in laughing heartily at the expense 
of those who had been cheated, and deceived, as he quoted it, 
by a woman's wit. 

The clouds had partially broken, and now and then a little 
twinkling star peeped timidly through the firmament. Indeed, 
the darkness, to my great relief, was much less intense. My 
apprehensions, however, had been less for myself than Mrs. 
Bradish and her companions. My thoughts constantly referred 
to the long dark woods, and the lonely midnight ride. 

" Are there no wild animals in the Maple Woods ?" I inquired. 

3* 



58 



Female Life among the Mormons, 



" There are," he answered, " or at least I suppose so." 

" Is Mrs. Bradish in no danger, then ?" 

" She is in danger, doubtless. It is only a short time since 
a man was pursued by a pack of wolves. Nothing but the 
fieetness of his horse saved him ; but Providence will protect 
her." 

" Providence protects those who take care of themselves," I 
answered : " but is there no. danger of her taking the wrong 
road." 

"Not much, I guess," he replied. "To be sure there are 
many different paths, but she knows the direction." 

" However, it seems to me that we shall never see her 
again." 

"Weak and silly," he replied, "you judge of her by your- 
self." 

We travelled on in silence. At length the wagons came to a 
full stop. We had arrived at the intersection of the roads. — 
The signal agreed upon was given. All listened breathlessly. 
It was not answered, but after a few minutes a dull sound was 
heard. It came nearer and nearer, settling at last in the long- 
steady gallop of horses. Again the signal was given ; and this 
time answered. They soon came up. Mrs. Bradish and Mrs. 
Cook took places in our wagon ; Mrs. Stone and Irene in 
theirs. 

" Thank heaven," I said, grasping the hand of the first lady, 
"thank heaven you are safe." 

" Safe, child ; did you dream that there was danger ?" 

" Certainly; was not a man pursued through these very woods 
by a pack of wolves ?" 

" To be sure there was, but the wolves didn't pursue me. I 
had no fears of them." 

" And*you got through perfectly safe and easy ?" said Mr. 
Ward j " I had some misgivings myself." 



The First Halt. 



59 



" I had none ; but how did you get along with the enemy ?" 

" First rate ; when they found that those they sought for 
were not among us, they even offered to apologize." 

''.Trust a woman's wit," said Mrs. Bradish, bursting into a 
laugh. " Oh, it is too good." 

" I don't know what we should do without you," said Mr. 
Ward ; "I am very confident no one else would have thought 
of such a scheme." 

Mrs. Bradish received the congratulations of the whole com- 
pany, and it seemed to me on this, and on many occasions after- 
wards, that her shrewdness was more than a match for Smith's 
inspiration. 

We travelled the remainder of the night, and halted in a 
pleasant valley the next morning about sunrise. As it had 
been decided to have no dealings with the heathen, we prepared 
to take breakfast on the green sward. The wagons were drawn 
up in a line, the teams unharnessed, turned loose, and fed ; the 
men, women, and children gathered into groups, preparing or 
partaking of their food. Smith still retained his disguise, and 
I observed that his attentions were divided between Mrs. Clarke 
and Mrs. Cook. Ellen seemed neglected by every one. She 
sat apart from the rest, and looked so sad and disconsolate, that 
one's heart ached to behold her. Even her own mother rarely 
looked towards her, or spoke to her. I observed the same to 
Mrs. Bradish. She smiled, and said it was nothing. 

We rested for two hours, and then the teams were again har- 
nessed, the passengers mounted in the wagons, and we set off. 

Mrs. Cook was no longer in our company, but had returned 
to the wagon in which she had first ridden, and in which Smith 
also rode. 

There is very little romance in a journey out West. The dull 
monotony of the route ; the long interminable winding roads, 
through valleys, over hills, and beside water courses ; the strag- 



60 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



gling villages, looking so near like each other that you are 
almost tempted to believe yourself to be in the condition of per- 
sons, who, becoming bewildered in some forest, describe a circle 
instead of progressing onwards, and continually, though without 
consciousness of it, review the same scenes. Doubtless we were 
a godsend to many a villager half dying with ennui, who had 
retailed her last piece of scandal, reported the last short-coming 
of the pastor, and the last frailty of an erring sister. In many 
places the inhabitants turned out en masse to behold us. 
Groups would be stationed on the hills, the women holding aloft 
their infants as if to show them a glimpse of some great natural 
curiosity, troops of children, staring "and gaping at first, and 
then running and whooping like young savages when they had 
settled the question that we looked exactly like other people. 
But Smith was certainly the greatest curiosity, particularly with 
the women. The moment our encampment was made at night, 
if in a habitable neighborhood, we were thronged with visitors. 
Fat ladies came, sometimes bringing small presents, oftener with 
their pipes and snuff-boxes. Beautiful girls, with and without 
protectors, swarmed around us. Dirty men from their work, 
saturated with the fumes of tobacco and whisky, with now and 
then a gent, would insist on knowing all about Mormonism, or 
on being present at our morning and evening devotions. 

I believe that we should have got along very well, had not 
Smith, as usual, been possessed with the mania of making con- 
verts ; and on this occasion, as well as others, the subjects of 
his exertions were young and beautiful girls. One warm, beau- 
tiful evening, two sisters came to visit us in company with their 
parents. The place of our encampment was on the border of a 
wood, near the banks of a limpid stream. I had wandered off 
by myself, and sat down on a fallen log behind a clump of elders 
and laurels, yet in plain view of the encampment, and where I 
could see all that was going on without being seen. The 



The Abduction of Hannah. 



61 



parents were in deep conversation with some Mormon elders, 
when Irene laughingly approached the sisters, and asked them 
how they would like to be Mormons, 

"I think I should like it," said Hannah,- a gay, sprightly 
creature ; and she glanced inadvertently towards a group of 
young men, who had come in from the village, and in which I 
suppose she had a lover. 

" Well, then," said Irene, " you had better go with us." 

" Wonder if I hadn't though ?"* she returned ; and thus the 
two girls kept up a sort of playful badinage. 

Smith was in disguise ; but I knew him, and determined to 
watch his motions. He soon approached Hannah. 

" My daughter," he said, in a voice modulated exactly like 
that of an aged man, " sit clown here, aud converse with an 
aged grandfather, who is a Mormon, but who once had a beau- 
tiful daughter, exactly like yourself." 

" Had you?" she said, archly. 

" Indeed, I had." 

" What became of her ?" 

" She died." 

" Died, dreadful I" 

" Dying is not dreadful to the good ; but sit here beside me, 
and I will tell you about it." 

She sat down beside him. Irene drew the sister's arm within 
hers, and they took a short stroll together. What he said to 
her no .other ear heard, what arts he employed upon her it is 
impossible to tell. It was something, however, of no ordinary 
character, as the result will show. 

Meanwhile a light gust of clouds swept over the sky ; it 
became quite dark, and the parents wished to go home, but 
Hannah was not to be found. Inquiries being made, Irene said 
that Hannah had gone with another young lady, her cousin, and 
would not return till the next day, 



62 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



u That is strange, anyhow," said the old lady ; " why did she 
not speak to me about it ?" 

" I know nothing about that," returned Irene, coldly. 

" Well, we shall have to let her go, I s'pose 5" and they 
walked off. 

And where was Smith during this conversation ? 

He stood by like some quaint, antiquated grandfather. 

That night a special revelation directed that he should have 
a wagon especially appropriated to his own use ; and conse- 
quently the ladies who had occupied it formerly, were dis- 
tributed here and there. Ellen came to us, and I was glad of 
it, as it would give me an opportunity to have some conversation 
with her. Mrs. Bradish had gone to nurse and prescribe for a 
sick child belonging to the company. Mr. Ward took up his 
lodgings in a wagon exclusively occupied by men, and no one 
remained with us capable of appreciating or reporting our con- 
versation. 

" The old lady didn't seem to relish her daughter's going off 
so unceremoniously," I said, at length. 

" Her daughter didn't go anywhere," answered Ellen, quietly. 
" Where is she then ?" 
" In yonder wagon." 
" What one ?" 
" Ours." 

" Ellen, Miss Bradly, are you sure of what you say ?" 

" Sure, certainly, didn't I see him lift her in ; didn't I hear 
him tell Irene to forge that lie. Oh! Mrs. Ward, I could tell 
you things of that man which would make you shudder." 

" Tell me, Ellen, do," I said, soothingly. " I have long 
known that some dreadful burden was on your mind. I am 
your friend, confide in me as in a sister." 

" Oh, I dare not ; he would kill me." 

" Who would kill you, my poor child ?" 



Ellen's Narrative. 



63 



" I am afraid to speak it ; it seems to me that he can read my 
thoughts, and I fear to look at him. My mother is angry with 
me, because she says I have no faith in him ; how can I 
have faith in a man whom I know to be so desperately 
wicked ? 

" I believe, she said, after a time, " I believe that I can 
confide in you. You are not one of them. You have not 
experienced the power of that dreadful man as I have." 

" No ; I am not a Mormon in belief, and yet I know that 
Smith at least possesses power, with which men generally are 
not endowed." 

" Yes," said Ellen ; " and it is that which frightens me." 

" I have longed wished to ascertain what were your sensa- 
tions on that eventful night of the Mormon meeting. Excuse 
me, Ellen, but were you really dead ?" 

" I know not." 

" Had you been sick ?" 

" Be patient, and I will relate the whole. Smith had fre- 
quently given out that under peculiar circumstances, he could 
raise the dead. Two or three times some mother, agonizing 
over the loss of her offspring, had implored him to try, but a 
special revelation would always come in to forbid it. At length 
some of the brothers gave him to understand that they must 
see an exhibition of his work, or hear no more about it. He 
engaged to resurrectionize the first believer who fell beneath the 
power of the enemy, and there the matter rested. Smith came 
to our house on the day in question. I was entirely alone, and 
sat sewing by the window. His deportment was very grave, 
and something unusual seemed to weigh on his mind. I had a 
presentiment that it related to me, and whenever was a pre- 
sentiment at fault ? At length he spoke, and his voice sent a 
thrill of horror through my hearts 

" ' Ellen/ he said, 'you are about to die,' 



64 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" 1 How — when V I answered, commanding my voice as well 
as I was able. 

V 1 Now, immediately. I had a special revelation of it ; and, 
knowing that you were alone, came in to aid and comfort you. 
But fear not, child • the presence of God is with you — look at 
me,' 

" His words struck me with inexpressible dread. To die — to 
leave the beautiful earth, and all I loved ; the thought was hor- 
rible ! yet I doubted not of its fulfillment, and looked towards 
him, as he bade me. I was fascinated by his gaze, so deep, 
earnest and steady. A strange sensation of drowsiness over- 
powered my senses. I wished, but could not -struggle against it. 
The consciousness that I was dying came over me ; and yet how 
different from all that I had imagined of death. ISTo pain, no 
torture, no agonizing convulsions, but all calm, sedate, and tran- 
quil. A gradual suspension of feeling and perception, a blending 
of indistinct images, like objects in a dream", that mingle and 
then melt to nothingness. Yet I knew that a warm hand closed 
my eyes ; that the same hand moved gently down my extremi- 
ties ; and that was the last." 

" And did Smith call your parents ?" 

" He did. He told them that Providence sent him to me to 
soothe my dying moments ; and that it had been revealed like- 
wise that I should rise from the dead." 

" 'Tis strange, 'tis passing strange," I said involuntarily. 

" I once read," said Ellen, slowly, and with awful emphasis, 
" I once read of a man who had made a bargain with the Evil 
One : power was given on one side — on the other, the immortal 
soul was sold. It sometimes seems to me that he has employed 
the same fearful means to effect his purposes. That it comes 
from heaven, as he professes, I cannot believe." 

" But you are not a believer in him ?" 

" Once I was ; but now"— — - 



Ellen's Narrative, Continued. 



65 



"But now, what?" 

" He must be a wicked man. It cannot be otherwise. I 
could unfold a tale. I have been anions; the initiated." 

This was said incoherently, and more as a soliloquy than as if 
addressed to me. 

"What is it, Ellen?" 

" When I first saw Joseph Smith, I was pure and happy — 
betrothed to an amiable young man, whom I loved, and who 
loved me. Smith, by his hellish arts, succeeded in making my 
parents believe that, to ensure my salvation, the marriage must 
be broken off, unless my lover could be converted to Mormon- 
ism. That, they well knew, was impossible ; and so we were 
forbidden to see or speak to each other. It is true that, hearing 
continually the praises of Smith, and witnessing the exhibitions 
of his power, astonished and filled me with awe and veneration. 
His presence was that of the basilisk. He exerted a mystical 
magical influence over me — a sort of sorcery that deprived me 
of the unrestricted exercise of free will. It never entered into 
my brain that he could cherish impure motives ; that one pro- 
fessing such sainted holiness could seek the gratification of law- 
less passions. No friendly voice was near to warn me, and I 
fell" 

" Oh ! Ellen, you frighten me ; yet I suspected as much." 
" And it frightened me ; but hear me out. I became a 
mother I" 

" Worse and worse." 

" Indeed, you may well say that ; for the worst is yet to 
come." 

" What became of your child ?" 

" I know not. Into my mother's ear, I poured the tale of m^ 
wrongs and woes. Where else could I go with it ? yet, so deep 
was her reverence for that man, that she refused to believe me. 
My father mentioned it to Smith ; but he utterly and totally 



66 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



denied the whole. At length, however, it became necessary that 
something should be done, and a meeting was called. At that 
meeting only four persons were present.'' 
" And who were they V J 

" The knowledge will probably embitter your whole life — do 
you wish to know V } f 
" Certainly." 

" Tour husband, Mrs. Ward, my father, Smith, and Mrs. 
Bradish." 

" Is it possible ! But what was decided upon V 1 
"That I only know by the results. I was taken to the house 
of Mrs. Bradish. There my sickness occurred. I well knew 
my condition — well knew the meaning of the fierce pangs that 
seized me ; then I sunk into a state of partial unconsciousness, 
not totally oblivious to passing events, and yet incapable of 
speech or motion. I woke from this state to ask for my child, 
and they made strange of it— laughed, and said I was beside 
myself — wanted to know what made me imagine such an 
absurdity — and, finally, threatened to send me to the lunatic 
asylum, if ever I mentioned such a thing again. Imagine my 
anguish \ for description is powerless. I said no more, for I 
feared them ; but set myself to remember and connect the 
events of the few past hours. I had distinctly heard the feeble 
wail of an infant ; then it seemed that I heard or saw (for 
everything was confused) Mrs. Bradish go stealthily to the 
closet-door, open it, and remark : ' It can lay here a short time.' 
That the closet-door was then closed, when there was a slight 
whispering, and some one said : ' All for the best. It would 
have disgraced us in the eyes of the heathen.' My child was in 
that closet, dead ! 1 knew, I felt that it must be so. Dead ! 
yet it was not stillborn ; for I heard its feeble wail. Dead now, 
nevertheless ; and how ? The thought was horrifying ! and 
thea I lay still — oh ! how still ! — but my thoughts were busy, 



A Mother's Instinct. 



6T 



and they all revolved round that dead child ; and the intense 
burning desire to behold it grew stronger every moment, and 
seemed to give me a supernatural strength and energy as well 
as insight into their dark designs. Then it came to me that 
they would take and bury it while I slept. - But I will sleep no 
more/ I said to the inward monitor, and resolutely refrained 
from slumber. Mrs. Bradish soothed and counselled me' to rest, 
even recommended a narcotic ; but this time I had a purpose 
unfulfilled, and was not to be cajoled. Faint, sick, and weary, 
as I was, I overmatched these resolute and strong women. Oh, 
what Is there that an unconquerable will cannot effect ! Mrs. 
Bradish seemed really exasperated, and chid me smartly for my 
wakefulness. She then went out and called the attendant. 
They whispered in suppressed tones ; but, on parting, one said 
to the other : ' Some time near morning, when she falls asleep f 
the other assented, and the attendant. came back to watch with 
me." 

" And who was this attendant ?" 

" I never saw her before or since ; she was probably one of 
those miserable women, who, for gold, will commit almost any 
crime. How I loathed her hateful presence ; but knowing that 
the success of my wishes depended on lulling her suspicions, 
I said nothing. At length she grew drowsy, for the muscles of 
her neck began to relax, and her head to nod. ' You had 
better compose yourself into a comfortable position, and sleep,' 
I said, addressing her ; ' I can call you if necessary.' With a 
yawn or two she complied with the suggestion, and her heavy 
breathing soon made it apparent that she had fallen asleep. 

" And then I rose in the bed. Sickness and faintness over- 
powered me for a moment, but mastering these sensations by a 
strong effort of resolute will, I slipped from my couch. But my 
tottering limbs refused to support me, and I sunk to the floor. 
Then dragging myself heavily along, I made my way to the 



68 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



closet, opened the door silently, and drew thence a small bundle, 
which my heart too plainly told me, was bone of my bone and 
flesh of my flesh. Unwinding it carefully, an infant was dis- 
closed, with a thick piece of brown paper drawn tightly over its 
mouth. I knew the purpose of this, and no longer able to 
contain myself, I shrieked aloud, my brain swam, there was a 
noise like the rush of waters in my ears ; then all was darkness. 

""When I recovered, Mrs. Braclish was sitting beside me. I 
feared to look at her, and covered my face with the bed-clothes. 

" 1 Are you better, clear V she said, soothingly. ' You have 
been very ill.' 

*" I dared not trust my voice to speak, and remained silent, 
while she continued : ' Will you not have an anodyne, or some 
little nourishment ? Oh ! I perceive you are too weak to 
answer,' and without ceremony she went to a small cupboard, 
poured out a glass of wine, and bringing it to me, raised my 
head slightly, and compelled me to swallow it.'' 

" And all this happened, and I an inmate of the same house ?" 

"All this, and much more,'' continued Ellen. ''When I 
recovered, Smith consented to receive me as his spiritual wife, 
for a time. The same as he has received Irene and those foolish 
women, who have abandoned their homes for him. Now 
Hannah will be added to the number. When he tires of her, 
she will be cast off, or given to some one else." 

" Perhaps her relatives will reclaim her V 

11 No hopes of it. Once in his hands, there is no rescue or 
remedy. Oh ! it is horrible !" 

And what a revelation was this to me — me, so closely con- 
nected with the principal aiders and abettors in such deeds of 
crime. But after a violent struggle with my feelings, I 
concluded that silence and apparent ignorance would be the 
best policy, since the confidence of Ellen could not be betrayed, 
and I had no other proof. 



The Pursuit. 



69 



The next morning the encampment was broken up, and the 
cavalcade under way two hours earlier than usual. I had a 
shrewd suspicion of the reason. Mrs. Bradish, however, said, 
that they wished to travel in the *cool of the morning, in order 
to have a longer time for rest in the heat of the day. The 
words of Ellen had awakened my suspicions, and I determined 
to watch that woman. I soon discovered that something 
unusual was going on, and was not long in conjecturing the 
cause. Bounding Bet was brought forward, saddled and 
bridled for a ride. 

" I think a gallop this morning will be decidedly pleasant and 
exhilarating," said Mrs. Bradish. 

" Do you ride alone V } I inquired. 

"I have hardly decided," she answered, "some of the girls 
can ride with me if they choose." 

Then she mounted, and rode around in the direction of the 
leading wagons. I could not see at the time whether she took 
off any of the girls or not, but soon perceived her galloping off 
in a circular direction, with a woman, in whom I recognized 
Hannah, mounted behind her. 

We journeyed on probably four or five miles, when we heard 
the sound of an approaching company, and presently eight or 
ten young men, armed and mounted, came up. One, a little 
ahead of the others, ordered the wagons to halt, and demanded 
his sister. 

" Your sister ? what have we to do with your sister ?" said 
Smith, affecting utter indifference to the subject. 

" You know very well who I mean," said the young man, 
unable to restrain his rising passion. " And if you don't tell 
me where she is, by Gj- — d, I'll blow your brains out ! that I will." 

Mr. Ward advanced to the young fellow, and said, in a con- 
ciliating manner, ct Indeed, sir, how can we tell you where your 
sister is, when we don't know ourselves ?" 



TO Female Life among the Mormons. 

" But you do know. She came last night ; that's certain. 
When mother wanted to go home, some of you told her that 
Hannah had gone off with her cousin. It was a lie, the whole 
of it. Jacob Ware told me that he saw her get into one of 
your wagons." 
.. " Well, you can search the wagons." 

" And we will search them." 

A thought struck me. I had been considered good at 
sketching ; could I not communicate to him a knowledge of his 
sister in that way ? Pencil and paper were handy, no one was 
with me but the children, and I began. In a few minutes I 
had formed a tolerable picture of a horse, with two women oir 
his back, flying over the hills. When it came the turn of our 
wagon to-be searched, I contrived to slip it unperceived into his 
hand, and by a gesture enjoined silence. He thrust the paper 
into his pocket, and a moment after retired beyond observation. 
Rejoining the others, he gazed earnestly and steadfastly at me, 
when I pointed the direction they had taken. He nodded 
assentingly. 

" Are you now satisfied?''' inquired Mr. Ward, when the 
wagons were all searched. 

"I am not," answered the young man ; "your company are 
not all here." 

" Are not ? and who is missing, pray ?" 

"That tall, elegant woman, with such a dignified aspect and 
carriage, and that ambling pony, for which I offered two hun- 
dred dollars last night. That pony would carry double finely ;" 
and giving a significant whistle, his party mounted almost in a 
second, and set off at full speed. 

The Mormons appeared actually paralyzed. 

" Some one must have given him a hint," he said, soliloquiz- 
ing. 

"A hint of what ?" 



Discomfiture of- Mrs. Bradish. 11 

" No thing," he answered, suddenly recalled to consideration. 
" Nothing, at least that concerns you." 

The cavalcade now moved on, but it was very evident that 
unusual apprehensions were entertained by the saints. Every 
countenance wore a look of anxiety, and every eye was occasion- 
ally strained far off in the distance, as if to discover if possible 
some traces of the fugitives. At least two hours elapsed, when 
we caught the sound of firearms, discharged apparently in a 
neighboring wood. Then loud voices, two or three screams, and 
all became silent. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE RECAPTURE. 

H T THINK," said Mr. Ward, "that we must send some of 

JL our men off to see what is going on." 

Three of the horsemen were accordingly directed to ride off 
into the woods, and reconnoitre. They soon returned, bringing 
Mrs. Bradish severely wounded, and almost suffocated with 
rage. 

I was seriously alarmed, as the blood was flowing freshly 
from a deep wound in her arm. Her hair was dishevelled, her 
bonnet gone, her clothes torn, and in the wildest disorder 
The whole party crowded round her, asking a thousand ques- 
tions in a breath. " How had it all happened V " Where was 
Hannah ?" " Where was Bounding Bet ?" 

Mr. Ward thrust them aside, and kindly interrogated her as 
to the cause and extent of her misfortunes. 



12 Female Life among the Mormons. 

" Oh, the wretches !" she shrieked, " that I should live to tell 
it — that Anna Bradish should be beaten by a parcel of boys." 

" Never mind that," he said, " but tell us how it happened." 

"We rode pretty smart at first J' she commenced, "but — oh, 
Mrs. Ward, you hurt my arm dreadfully. What are you 
doing ?" 

" I am trying to dress the wound, but I fear the bone is bro- 
ken, or the joint injured, or both," I answered. 

" Well, like enough ; the ball went right through it." 
" Let me see," said Mr. Ward. 

He examined the wound, and having some general knowledge 
of surgical affairs, soon decided that the bone was severely 
shattered. One of the party was instantly dispatched to a 
neighboring village for a surgeon, and an encampment made on 
the border of the wood to wait his arrival. Mrs. Bradish 
refused to lie down, but sat in an arm-chair to rehearse her 
adventure. 

"Where is Smith ?" she said ; " I don't see him." 

The lady was irritated, and left off the cognomen of brother. 

" Round yonder, behind the wagons," said some one. 

" Oh ! I see," she said sarcastically. " He is ashamed of him- 
self. I don't wonder — these new converts of his are always 
getting us into trouble." 

" Mrs. Bradish, you forget yourself," said Mr. Ward. 

" At any rate I want him to hear just how I have been out- 
raged and insulted on his account." 

" On account of the truth," suggested Mr. Ward. 

Smith soon came up to the lady, and condoled with her mis- 
fortunes, said that he had been detained by a vision which 
assured him that she would speedily recover, and that great 
honors and rewards would recompense her in the next world for 
all she suffered in this. Some of the more zealous wished him 
to exert his miraculous powers, and restore her arm at once. 



Death of Bounding Bet. 



'13 



He said that it was forbidden on account of their want of faith, 
that he believed there was an Achan in the camp, and that the 
accursed thing must be found out and expunged. 

The countenance of Mrs. Bradish expressed anything but 
satisfaction at this harangue. At length she said : 

" Brother Smith, my advice is that you attempt no more con- 
versions among these heathen women. Trouble always comes 
of it. Now Bounding Bet is killed, and I am wounded, for 
that silly thing, Hannah." 

" Bounding Bet killed ?" cried Irene, who had come up, and 
stood listening to the conversation. 

"To be sure she is. The wretches shot her as they would a 
hill sheep-dog." 

Smith, who probably feared that his sacredness in her eyes 
might suffer by the remarks of Mrs. Bradish, commanded her to 
retire. She obeyed with evident reluctance, as her curiosity 
was unsatisfied. 

According to the account of Mrs. Bradish, she had been pur- 
sued, and suddenly overtaken, while pausing to rest in the wood. 
Depending on the speed of her palfrey, she started off on a 
sharp gallop. The boys seeing the game so near, gave a loud 
halloo, and took after her. Bounding Bet, however, was dis- 
tancing them finely, when some one fired a ball at her with 
deadly effect. It was followed by another and another. The 
palfrey fell. Hannah* screamed, and Mrs. Bradish with great 
difficulty extricated herself from the fallen horse, only to be 
seized and maltreated by her enemies. 

" And Hannah ?" 

" The wretches took her with them ; her brother positively 
swearing that he would give her a horsewhipping when he got 
home." 

" Well, she deserves it ; that I know, miserable, silly dupe," I 
remarked. 

4 



74 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



The countenance of Ellen glowed with an expression I could 
not fathom. It seemed a mixture of joy, sorrow, astonishment, 
and gratification. She stood near me when the surgeon came. 
He examined the wound, expressed his opinion of its severity, 
and his fears that an amputation would be necessary. 

This she steadfastly refused. Her body, she said, came into 
the world without any deficiency, it should go to the grave in 
the same condition. In vain we reasoned and argued. She 
would trust in Providence, and we were constrained to yield. 
He declared, however, that travelling was out of the question, 
and so it was decided to remain in the encampment two or three 
days. 

" This seems a very remarkable wound to have been made in 
the manner you describe," said the surgeon, when he came the 
next day. " I thought so, yesterday ; it is still more apparent 
to-clay. If I understood you aright, you were thrown from your 
horse V 

11 I was thrown from my horse," said the lady briefly. 

" And yet here is every evidence of a pistol-shot wound." 

" Mr. Surgeon," said Mrs. Bradish, " I understand your 
curiosity. Your village, the same as all others, has its gossip 
without any doubt. We, as Mormons, are despised .and perse- 
cuted. Falsehoods are circulated, vile rumors raised and 
reported purposely to draw on us the contempt of the commu- 
nity. What you may have heard I cannot tell. The facts are 
these : I had a beautiful palfrey that I rode when weary and 
tired of jostling in the wagon. Yesterday morning I fancied it 
would be exceedingly pleasant to gallop through the woods. 
There I was waylaid, my horse shot under me, and myself 
wounded as you see." 

The surgeon, on hearing this, wondered what the country was 
coming to ; said it was hardly safe for a man to ride alone, much 
less a woman ; supposed that the rascals might be apprehended, 



Speculations concerning the Prophet. 



75 



as they certainly deserved to be ; and even offered to bring a 
lawyer to consult with them on the subject. Mrs. Bradish did 
not consider it desirable. For her part, she looked for justice 
to a Higher Power. The saints could not expect peace and 
happiness in this world, but their reward in the next was 
certain. 

" Great consolation in that," said the surgeon. 

I caught his eye that moment, when he turned away to con- 
ceal his laughter. He evidently understood the game. 

He subsequently informed me that the adventure of Mrs. 
Bradish had created a great sensation through the country. 
Indeed, how could it be otherwise ? 

"You were very popular," said the little man — "very popular 
before this happened ; everybody wanted to make you a visit. 
Your Prophet here was the principal talk of the women." 

"And yet very few of them knew anything about him, or, if 
they had visited us, ascertained his identity," said I. 

"Likely enough. I think, however, I have jieard at least a 
dozen descriptions of him," returned the surgeon. "Some said 
he was a handsome man, tall and elegant in demeanor, that his 
hair and eyes were black, and that he wore magnificent whis- 
kers. Another asserted quite as positively that he was a small 
man, with light hair, blue eyes and red whiskers ; and yet 
another asserted that he wore no whiskers at all." 

" They were all deceived," I answered. " The fact is, he 
wishes to travel without being known. When people have 
visited the encampment, and requested to see him, some one of 
the Mormons has been pointed out to them, and they have gone 
away in the belief that they had seen and spoken to the great 
Mormon Prophet. This accounts for the discrepancies." 

"It does, indeed," he said laughing ; "but since that unfor- 
tunate adventure all the old women in the neighborhood regard 
you as a band of kidnappers, and not a few are confident in 



To 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



their assertions that Smith is in league with the Old One him- 
self. Old Mrs. Pettigree said she couldn't sleep at night for 
thinking of it ; all the girls are kept closely housed after dark, 
and very few men venture abroad. Some of them are even con- 
cerned about me, but I tell them that a physician can defy the 
devil 1" 

" At any rate, such as belong to our company. Smith is 
possessed with a mania to make converts," said I. 

" And his greatest success is amoug the women. Excuse me, 
madam, but that is always the case. Fanatics of every class 
and character find their devotees in that class of the community. 
It matters not how great the absurdity, how ridiculous and con- 
trary to common sense the doctrine, women will be smitten with 
it, and many are weak enough to abandon comfortable homes 
and situations, in order to follow some mad fanatic, or be the 
dupe of some knavish impostor." 

The third morning after the disaster, the surgeon called again, 
examined his patient, expressed his gratification that the symp- 
toms were so favorable, and concluded by giving us a friendly 
warning to move. 

"And that we will readily do," said Mr. Ward, "if this lady 
can be removed with safety." 

" The danger will be greater, perhaps, if she stays, than if she 
goes. The fact is, the country is getting too hot to hold you." 

" What's the matter ?" said Mrs. Bradish, who, from her 
litter could only catch a word or two of the conversation. 

"I'm telling these people that the country is getting too hot 
to hold you," said the surgeon. 

" I wish to the Lord we were out of it," she answered. 

" And the best thing you can do will be to get out this day." 

" What new mine has been sprung ?" asked Mr. Ward. 

" Well, that Hannah of your acquaintance." 

" Not mine," said Mr. Ward. 



Alarming Intelligence. 



17 



" Your Prophet's, then, has made certain disclosures to her 
mother that set them all on fire — touched 'em off just like a 
powder magazine. There was a meeting about it last night, 
and it was settled that if you stayed another night in this 
locality, something should be done." 

" And what might the something be ?" 

" Yarious ugly and dirty tricks which it would be a disgrace 
to any community to have perpetrated in its midst, and by its 
members. But you know it's quite as difficult to disgrace some 
kinds of people as it is to spoil some kinds of meat," and the 
little surgeon laughed at his own wit. 

Thanking the surgeon for his friendly information, Mr. Ward 
at once proceeded to make immediate preparations for our 
departure. Mrs. Bradish was placed in a bed, on one of the 
wagons, the goods packed away, the cattle collected, and before 
an hour had passed, the company had taken up its line of 
march. 

The surgeon, wmose course lay for a short distance in the 
same direction, rode by the side of our wagon. When the place 
came to separate, we again thanked him, and Mrs. Bradish did 
not forget to remunerate him amply. 

" And now," he said, " as you confess that I have done you 
some little kindness, I have a favor to ask." 

" Name it, and if it is anything within the bounds of reason, 
you shall be gratified." 

" I wish to know which one of these men is the Prophet — not 
a spurious article, but the veritable man, himself." 

"You will betray his disguise while we are in the country?" 
said Mr. Ward, inquiringly. 

" Indeed I would not." 

* He is that man, yonder, in the wagon with those women." 
" What, that very old-looking man ?" 
" Yes ; that's the one." 



IS 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" Why, I suspected that he was young, not over middle-aged, 
certainly." 

"Have I not told you that he is in disguise V- 
" Oh, I forgot ; yes, yes." 

The little surgeon, having looked and gazed at Smith till 
entirely satisfied, bade us farewell, and went on his way. 

There was a man in the company named Peter Short, who, to 
excessive boorishness of manner united a most repulsive counte- 
nance and forbidding disposition. He was extremely ignorant, 
having not even mastered the first rudiments of education. 
But, as might be expected, he was a great devotee,, a firm 
believer in all the visions and miracles of the Prophet, and the 
firm adherent of all his doctrines. Peter, though already pos- 
sessing a wife and ten children, seemed to have been struck with 
the pensive grace and beauty of Ellen. He seemed never to 
weary of gazing at her, or talking to her, though it was equally 
perceptible that she loathed and hated him. She rarely looked 
towards him, answered his questions only by monosyllables, and 
otherwise manifested every symptom of dislike to him and his 
society. I had frequent opportunities for observing this, and it 
seemed to me, from the first, that some difficulty would grow 
out of it. I was walking a little apart from the others, when 
Ellen came to me, pale as death, and trembling with agitation. 

" Oh, Mrs. Ward !" she said, " I have come to you as the 
only person on earth in whom I can confide. What shall I 
do ? Can't you save me from this dreadful fate ?" 

" What is it, Ellen ?" I said, soothingly ; " what new trouble 
has happened to you V- 

" Oh, that horrible Peter Short ! They certainly wish to kill 
me, or they would save me from him." 

" My dear," said I, " compose yourself, and let me know the 
whole affair." 

" And the whole affair can be summed up in a few words. 



Hapless Fate of Poor Ellen. 



?9 



Peter Short has asked me of Smith for his spiritual wife. Smith 
has consented, and now commands me to accept him as my hus- 
band in the faith — him I loathe, and hate, and despise, as I never 
hated man before." 

" But jour mother — cannot she save you from this fate ?" 

" My mother is blinded and bigoted. She says that I must 
obey the commands of the Prophet, and that nothing he orders 
can be wrong. But it cannot be so. Has he not connived at 
murder, and deception, and all kinds of vice ? Has he not 
ruined me already, soul and body ? Has he not made me a 
thing to be pitied and abhorred by the pure ? But this has 
overflowed the cup. I might have borne the rest ; I might 
have hidden my shame and sorrow, and obtained peace and con- 
tent at last. But to be transferred from one villain to another, 
is awful — horrible." 

" What do they mean by spiritual wife ?" 

" You know Smith teaches that women can only be saved 
through their husbands ; and that unmarried females must be 
ever debarred from the pleasures of the blest. Consequently 
every woman must be provided with a spiritual husband. In 
that capacity, myself, Mrs. Cook, Mrs. Clarke, and Irene, have 
been the wives of Smith. Now he has tired of me. He will 
soon tire of them. Oh, misery I" 

Greatly as I pitied the poor girl, it was impossible, under the 
circumstances, to give her advice ; and so assuring her of my 
sympathy and friendship, and recommending her to put off the 
evil clay as long as possible ; and that probably something might 
happen to prevent it altogether, I left her. 

The next morning, Ellen was missing ; and when search was 
made, her body was found in the cool depths of -a pool that lay a 
short distance from the encampment. They laid her out on the 
smooth, green sward, and one after another came to look on the 
pale, sweet face, and to touch the pallid hand. Smith came 



80 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



among the rest, and so did Peter Short. Yet the wan lips 
uttered no cry of vengeance against them ; the dim eyes no 
longer turned from their presence. She slept to wake no more. 
. " This is really death," I thought ; " beyond dispute or ques- 
tion, it is death ; and will Smith endeavor to restore her to life 
— she, his spiritual wife — the daughter of his church, and the 
companion of his journey to the Promised Land P 

Mrs. Bradley was strong in the faith. 
My daughter," she said, in the utmost confidence, <£ my 
daughter shall live again.' 7 

" Not till the resurrection at the Last Day," said Smith, who 
heard the remark. " The suicide is accursed." 

The poor mother gave a faint shriek. 

" Yes," he continued, with the most brutal indifference to her 
feelings, " an angel could not restore the life of a person who 
had thus voluntarily surrendered it." 

" But you don't know as she did — you don't know as she 
did ; she might have fallen in there," said the mother. 

" No one could be drowned where she was, unless the act was 
voluntary," said Smith. 

" And why should such an act be voluntary ?" I said, 
approaching where they were standing, and eyeing him sternly • 
" to whose cruelty and depravity is it to be attributed, that one 
so young and beautiful became thus early tired of life ? Whose 
fanaticism blighted the hopes of that pure spirit, degraded her 
aspirations for love and truth, and turned the sweetness of her 
life to gall and wormwood ? ' The suicide accursed !' Say, 
rather, that those men are cursed, whose vileness makes death 
a last resource to the weak, against crime and oppression." 

" And who shall say that this was the case with Ellen ?" 
inquired Smith. 

"I say so. With her own lips she told me of her sorrows 
and persecutions, and your vileness. Yes, Joseph Smith, Pro- 



Arrival at the Promised Land. 



81 



phet and priest, as you pretend to be, of your vileness, your 
hateful arts and impostures ; but she is dead, now — you can 
torment her no more." 

Smith walked away muttering imprecations. 

Mrs. Bradley seemed actually frightened at my boldness. I 
could only regard her with pity and contempt. 

Ellen was buried in a green shady place beside the wood. 
Smith would not attend the ceremony, and no prayer was 
uttered, not a passage of Scripture read. Was the wretch 
angry that his victim had escaped him ? Was he angry at me 
for questioning his authority and inspiration ? Probably both. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE MORMON SETTLEMENT. 

HEN we reached the Mormon settlement, in Illinois, Mrs. 
Bradish had recovered from her injuries. A naturally 
strong constitution, and remarkably firm will, had accomplished 
the cure independent of spiritual or miraculous agencies. She 
* was active as ever again, going hither and thither, counselling 
one, commanding another, and reproving a third, yet all seem- 
ingly in the same breath. 

" And how do you like the Promised Land V said Mr. Ward 
to her one day, after she had been unusually busy for a long 
time, trying to overcome the stubbornness of some friends, who 
persisted in doing as they thought proper, contrary to her advice. 

u I should like it first rate, if these children would do as I 
bid them, but they're just like the heathen. Every one must 
have his own way.' ; 

To me, however, the situation of affairs looked anything but 

4* 




82 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



promising. The Mormon village contained about fifty houses, 
and every house could number two or three families. They 
were of every imaginable size, shape, and description ; that is, 
to begin at ordinary log dwellings, and descend in regular 
gradation to the meanest and most contemptible of hovels. 
Many of them had neither floors nor chimneys, quite a propor- 
tion were without either doors or windows. When these accom- 
modations were possessed, the rudest materials had been 
employed in their construction. The people were generally 
poor, and the multitudes of children exceeded all belief. Very 
few of these seemed at all acquainted with the appurtenances 
belonging to civilization. They certainly resembled young sava- 
ges much more than the offspring of the Faithful. With faces 
nn washed, hair uncombed, and feet so long ignorant of shoes or 
covering that they appeared of the color and consistence of huge 
toads. The females did not appear much better ; indeed, what 
could be expected of them ? All intercourse with the heathen 
having been precluded, thorns were used instead of pins ; there 
was but one needle in the village, and that was rarely called 
into exercise, it was so seldom that thread could be obtained. 
The most ordinary and indispensable toilet appendages were un- 
known. Great girls, of ten or twelve had nearly forgotten the 
use of a mirror. The cheapest and coarsest calico was esteemed 
a real luxury. Wooden bowls served for cups, and plates of the 
same material were used instead of Queeusware. To be sure, 
we enjoyed more comforts than the others, as having recently 
arrived, our stock was not exhausted. But we were plagued 
and worried incessantly by borrowers. One wanted the pot, 
another the kettle, a third the pail. Many household articles 
took a regular round \ through the village, and only arrived at 
home to commence a new start. Our house was superior to 
most of the others in many respects. It had a plank floor, a 
chimney of unhewn, unmortared stones, a covering of bark, a 



Mormon Merchandise. 



33 



door that had been transferred from a neighboring barn, a win- 
dow containing four panes of glass, and other things in confor- 
mity. The staircase was a ladder, the cupboard a couple of 
rude shelves, the wardrobe a corner, and the chamber a lumber- 
room. There were no conveniences. An oven was a thing 
unknown, but there were two churns, three washing-tubs, and N 
one tin baker. 

Subsequently, however, matters changed. It was decided 
that the church should open a store. By the church we are to 
understand the elders and prophets, with Smith at their head. 
The goods were a joint concern. A young man, son of one of 
the proprietors, was shopman ; and we congratulated ourselves 
on the prospect of once more possessing the necessaries of house- 
keeping. We soon found ourselves, mistaken. The goods were 
of the poorest quality, and the prices most enormous. Three- 
fourths of the articles were damaged. The dishes were cracked, 
the calico streaked, the clothing soiled. The ginger was a com- 
bination of red pepper and corn meal, the spice had been adul- 
terated, the black pepper mixed with something, it was impossi- 
ble to tell what ; and, to cap the climax, the tea, by somo mis- 
chance or other, had become so deeply imbued with the taste of 
spirits of turpentine, that it was impossible for any mortal man, 
or woman either, to drink it. Mrs. Bradish finally became out- 
rageous. She had been accustomed to comforts and luxuries, 
and consequently felt the present restriction in a greater degree. 
For her part, she considered it too bad that the heathen should 
be permitted to appropriate all the good things ; she could see 
no reason why the saints were not entitled to a reasonable , 
share, or, so far as that was concerned, to the whole. Smith, 
however, and the elders were inexorable, and the faithful were 
forbidden, under the penalties of excommunication and anathema, 
to have any dealings with the heathen. In fact, the store was 
nothing but a great swindling speculation on the part of the 



• 



84 Female Life among the Mormons. 

Mormon leaders. They bought up worthless articles for almost 
nothing, and then, exacting a great price, sought to compel the 
believers to purchase them. In this way they doubled and 
trebled their outlay. 

Soon after our arrival, a school was established, and Irene 
installed by Smith as teacher. This institution partook of the 
ludicrous in no small degree, and was certainly a great relief to 
the matrons of the place. But it is rarely the lot of man to 
witness such a combination of dirt, rags, filth and ugliness, as 
was there exhibited. All were sadly ignorant, and very few 
manifested any desire to learn. The exercises were chiefly oral, 
as books could not be obtained, neither would they have been 
admitted if obtainable. Smith formed a small volume in manu- 
script, which he gave to Irene, and from which she instructed 
the children in the duties and principles of Mormonism. In 
style and manner, it was a direct imitation of the Catechism. 
This, with instructions in reading from the Mormon Bible, and a 
little writing on thin greasy paper, completed the course of 
instruction. 

To secure their further independence, they determined to have 
a bank, of which the circulating medium was to be confined to 
themselves. But, although professing to despise the heathen, 
they were anxious to be considered by them in good circum- 
stances. Accordingly, when the building designed for the bank 
was ready, an unbeliever was employed to assist them to remove 
the specie into the vaults. This was contained in a great many 
kegs, all very heavy, and the coverings of some being removed, 
displayed the gold beneath. However, it was subsequently 
ascertained that the kegs were filled with lead, a very small 
quantity of gold being placed on the top. 

Mrs. Bradish took an active part in all the public business. 
She was a directress of the bank, and a visitor at the school. I 
even thought that her antipathy to the store was owing, in one 



, The Ambitious Mormon. 



85 



sense, to the fact that her name was not included in the list of 
proprietors. Bat my domestic affairs were quite sufficient for 
me, and I meddled very little with them or their doings. 

I had one friend in the village— a good, kind woman, who had 
removed from her home in New York, the season previous. She 
had been accustomed to all the elegances and appliances of 
wealth • but she bore the great change in her fortunes with sin- 
gular fortitude. Her dwelling, though rude and inconvenient 
like the others, was always scrupulously neat and clean. Her 
benches and tables were sweet and pure, from frequent ablu- 
tions ; and her children, though poorly furnished and coarsely 
clad, were always clean. We enjoyed long and frequent conver- 
sations ; and I soon discovered that she was far from being 
pleased with the moral, or rather immoral, practices of the Mor- 
mons. Her husband and herself were among the first converts 
to the new doctrines. They had been deceived by the artful 
impositions of Smith, and his pretended power of working mira- 
cles. Impulsive, generous, and unsuspecting, both embraced the 
cause with ardor ; embarked their property in the enterprise, 
but found, when too late, that there was more pretence than 
reality — more appearance than substance. At least, such was 
the case with her, 

The husband became imbued with ambitious views ; he aspired 
to become an elder and leader, and even fancied himself to be 
the favored recipient of divine communications. 

" Oh, Mr. Murray," she said to him, one day, in my presence, 
after he had been relating his wondrous exercise of mind, " it 
seems to me that you must be deceived." 

* Impossible," he answered, sharply. 

" But it is very possible," she returned kindly. 

" What should a woman know of such things ?" he retorted. 

Mrs. Murray was too noble and high-minded to weep or 
change countenance at her husband's taunt. 



8C> 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



"Mr. Murray speaks rather slightly of the women," I 
remarked. 

"Yes ; it is a way he has acquired lately," she answered. 
" I sometimes fear that my happiest days are past. We are so 
differently situated from what we were ; but maybe it is all for 
the best ;" and she tried to smile. 

" Of course, good may come out of evil/ 7 I said. 

" I frequently think," she said, " of what our good old pastor 
told me. He was a venerable man, near eighty years of age. 
He had carried me in his arms a thousand times, that I know. 
He baptised me and my husband, both in one day. We had sat 
under his ministry, and partook of the bread of the Sacrament 
at his hands, for years ; and he actually wept when he learned 
that we were going with the Mormons. ' For your sake, Mary,' 
he said, when he came to bid us farewell, ' for your soul's sake, 
my dear, lost daughter, consider well this thing ; but more 
especially for the sake of your husband. Cast among that 
abandoned, outcast crew, for I must call them so, he will be 
exposed to- temptations which you cannot understand, and of 
which, probably, you can have no perception. Oh, that you 
could be induced to remain with the friends of your youth ! for 
much I fear that this day will be to you the beginning of sor- 
row.' My husband is no longer what he was," she continued. 
" He is dissatisfied with me, and angry at the children often and 
often, when I find it impossible to divine in what manner I have 
displeased him. He spends much of his time away from home, 
and not unfrequently two or three nights at a time." 

A frightful thought seized me. 

" Mrs. Murray, excuse me for the question," I said, " but is 
your husband a convert to the theory of spiritual wives ?" 
" Indeed, Mrs. Ward, I know not ; but fear so." 
" Then, you had thought of it ?" 

" Certainly ; but I have no means of ascertaining. Neither 



Startling Revelations. 87 

Can I Say that the knowledge would be agreeable to me. How 
could I bear to think of holding the second place in his affec- 
tions ? It seems to me that that doctrine is from the devil." 

" And so are the other Mormon doctrines, in my opinion." 

" At one time," said Mrs. Murray, " in the blindness of my 
enthusiasm, I attributed to Smith the power and attributes of a 
Divinity ; but the scales have fallen from my eyes, and he seems 
to me an impostor of the vilest character." 

" But would it be safe to speak thus plainly of him in public ?" 

" No ; it would not," 

" If it is discovered that one is disaffected, I suppose that he 
or she is excommunicated ?" 

" Something more than that is done with them ;" and she 
approached so closely as to whisper the last sentence in my ear. 
I thought of Ellen's murdered infant, and asked — 

" What is it, Mrs. Murray ?" 

" They disappear I" 

" You alarm me, Mrs. Murray." 

" As I said, they disappear — how, or in what manner, has not 
been ascertained." 

" Are you certain of what you say ?" 

"Listen, and I will tell you; but remember not a word of it 
must be breathed to any one. A young man named Harrison, 
joined the Mormons some time ago. He was brave, upright, 
and intelligent, more so than ordinary. I perceived at once, 
that he had been deceived by their specious professions of piety, 
and meditated with myself on the result when he discovered 
their impositions. Everything went on smooth enough, for per- 
haps a month, when a regular breeze broke forth. I knew 
nothing about it, until Harrison came in here. His countenance 
was pale with suppressed passion, but he entered, though rather 
indifferently, into general conversation. At length, I inquired 
how he liked the Mormons, by this time. 



88 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" 'Not at all, Mrs, Murray; indeed, I have come to the con- 
clusion to leave them entirely ; nor is that all, I design to expose 
them to the world. We had a regular breeze yesterday, Smith 
and I. I told him just what 1 had found him to be, a fool, knave, 
liar, and impostor. I talked pretty plain, I can tell you.' 

" ' And what did he say V 

" 1 He laughed; but such a laugh, it made me shudder. " Oh ! 
you can laugh if you please," said I, " but you will rather quail 
to have your villainies exposed to the world, and exposed they 
shall be. Yes, sir ; the world shall know all about you, your 
pretended miracles, your bank with lead instead of gold, and all 
the mean, contemptible trickeries, to which I have been a wit- 
ness." ' 

" * You will wait until you have an opportunity to expose me, 
won't you V said Smith. 

" 1 An opportunity will soon present itself/ I answered. 

" ' Smith muttered something to himself, as he turned away.' 

" ' And where are you going, Harrison V I inquired. 

" 1 Back to my father's,' he answered. 

" ' Oh ! how I wanted to warn him I' at length, I said. 

" ' You had better be careful how you offend Smith, and take 
good care of yourself.' 

" ' To be sure, I will do that.' 

" He soon after took leave. The next day he started for his 
father's residence, and now read that " — as she spoke, she drew 
from her pocket a small piece of newspaper — " I picked it up 
along the street." 

I read, 

" Found Dead. — A young man by the name of Harrison, was found dead in the woods 
day before yesterday. To all appearance he had been shot. We have no clue to the 
murderers." 

I returned her the paper without saying a word, an^d she conti- 



Mrs. Murray Discloses Secrets. 89 



nued : " Another circumstance happened about eighteen months 
ago, which came more immediately beneath my knowledge. It was 
during a former visit of Smith to this place, that he brought to 
my house a beautiful young woman, and introduced her to me as 
a new convert. Her appearance was highly interesting, >and she 
had evidently been accustomed to good society. Her name was 
Sarah Sweet, and she stayed with me, until I felt for her almost 
the tenderness that a mother feels for her child. One day I left 
her to call on a friend. When I returned she was weeping and 
lamenting bitterly. 

" ' Why, Sarah, what is the matter ?' I inquired. 

" ' Oh ! Mrs. Murray, what shall I do V she almost shrieked, 
" 4 Smith has been here. The man whom I thought a prophet of 
the Lord, whose word I reverenced as of divine inspiration. 
And he seeks my ruin, soul and body ; I dare not tell you all 
he said, but oh ! I fear that I shall go mad V 

" 1 Compose yourself, my dear,' I said, ' you can go back to 
your parents, and with them you will be happy.' 

" 1 Yes, I will do so,' she replied. ' Oh ! what a fool I was to 
leave them; and once there, I will expose him and all his wicked 
practices, to prevent others from falling into the snare.' 

" * Did you tell him so ?' 

" 1 To be sure I did, but he only laughed a hideous kind of 
laugh, and said " very well." ' 

"'Well, Sarah, my advice is, that you be very secret and 
cautious in your movements. How do you design to return to 
your father's ?' 

11 1 On foot, of course, there is no other way.' 

" Sarah busied herself in making preparations to depart. 
Two or three women came in. ' What, Sarah, going to leave 
us ?' said one. ' What's in the wind now ?' inquired another. 

" Satan gave them little satisfaction, but they saw enough, 
Mrs. Murray paused, overcame with emotion. 



90 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" And how did it end ?" I inquired. 

" The poor girl started for her home, but never arrived there. 
She was found drowned." 

At this stage of the conversation other visitors came in, and 
I took leave. 

A few days after, Mrs. Murray called on me. After the 
exchange of compliments, " I have found it all out," she said, 
sighing. 

" Found out what ?" 

" About my husband's spiritual wife." 

" Then it was as I suspected ?" 

" Yes, and he told me of it himself, and even proposed to 
bring her to reside with us." 
" And what did you tell him ?" 

"That if she came, I would go away; and he said, 'No, 
madam, you won't. Among the Mormons, husbands are lords 
They have the privilege of punishing disobedient wives, and 
enforcing their homage.' Oh ! that I had listened to the voice 
of my pastor ; he foresaw all this." 

" Who is the woman, with whom your husband has formed 
that connection ?" 

" Why, a woman that came with Smith, in your company, 
one Mrs. Cook." 

" Is it possible ?" 

" It is, and oh ! that I should live to see it, should live to 
feel myself occupyiug the second place in my husband's heart." 

" Could you not return to your friends ?" 

" I would gladly do so, if I had the means, but it is the 
policy of these men, to keep everything like money out of the 
reach of the women; and then I suppose my fate would be like 
that of Sarah." 

" It is more than probable." % 

" I could not leave my children," she said. " Oh ! I am 



The Mormon Millenium. 



91 



sorely tried, but I feel, I know, that it is just, I am only reaping 
the reward of my doings." 



HE idea of a temporal millenium is one of the most impor- 



J_ tant principles of Mormonism, and the one most cherished 
by the believers. They speak of it on all occasions* and many 
of them indulge the most- fantastic and absurd notions with 
respect to the state and degree of happiness to be enjoyed. 

The Mormons are no exception to the general rule, that the 
character and temper of a people may be safely judged by their 
opinions of what is to constitute their happiness hereafter. 
Thus, the warlike Scandinavians placed the souls of the heroes in 
Valhalla, where they enjoyed the feast of victory perpetually, 
and never wearied of drinking mead from the skulls of their 
enemies. The Mahometan anticipates the balmy shades, cool- 
ing fountains, and black-eyed houris ; while the Indian is to 
enjoy an everlasting season of hunting, and chase the wild deer 
with dogs swifter than the wind. 

The Mormons, being generally devoted to simple customs, and 
agricultural habits, anticipate a millenium, in which the curse is 
to be removed from the earth, when all venomous beasts, and 
insects, and wicked men are to be destroyed ; all poisonous 
plants and noxious weeds eradicated ; and nature produce, 
in spontaneous abundance, all the good things of life. 

Their opinions on other subjects are no less fantastic and 
absurd. Their standard of morality is different from that of 



CHAPTER VIII. 



MORMON FAITH AND WORSHIP. 




92 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



other sects. To give money to the church, preach the Gospel, 
and have dreams and visions, were considered the most merito- 
rious acts. 

And judged by this system of morals they are all over- 
righteous. They are all dreamers, but the elders only have the 
privilege of interpreting. Smith, while he lived, monopolized the 
business exclusively. Many of them prophesy, but only the 
elders can detect whether they are moved on by a truthful or a 
lying spirit ; and as to the preachers it is scarcely possible to 
discover anything like order or consistency in their discourses. 
They all turn on the everlasting hinge of living and reigning with 
Christ a thousand years. 

Their worship is a strange mixture of Jewish and Christian 
ceremonies. Their civil polity resembles that of the Jews in 
many particulars. The head of the church is temporal 
governor, and they acknowledge the force of no laws save those 
of their own formation. 

Mormonism is continually changing, and many doctrines are 
taught at present, which were unknown to the founders of the 
faith. Polygamy, was not openly advocated for some time. 
In the first place, the spiritual wife was said to be united to her 
husband, by a purely spiritual tie, independent of all sensual 
relations, and this once admitted, soon led to the other. 

And then the temple, which was designed to be the seat of 
their worship in after ages, and occupied the centre of what 
they were pleased to denominate the Promised Land, was to be 
a sort of Mecca, to which the pilgrims of future generations 
were to resort. Mrs. Murray said to me one day : — 

" I long ago became disgusted with the bombast and rant of 
the Mormon preachers, with their constant reference to dreams, 
and visions, and miracles ; with their abuse of the heathen, as 
they termed our neighbors. Sometimes, however, these things 
took a ludicrous character. Old Mrs. Harris came to our house 



Interior Economy of Heaven. 93 

one day, in search of Smith. ' She had a marvellous dream the 
night before/ to employ her phraseology, and now was in pursuit 
of the interpreter. 

" ' And what was your dream, Mrs. Harris V I inquired. 

" ' Oh ! I would like to -tell you, that I would,' said the crone ; 
4 but the Lord has commanded, through the mouth of his 
prophet, that our dreams should first be told to him.' 

" ' Oh ! well/ I said, 'it don't matter.' 

" ' But it does tho'. I want you to know what it is, and after 
it is interpreted I will tell you.' 

" Smith made the interpretation of dreams a source of revenue ; 
for the interpretation was not given till the interpreter was 
rewarded, and the reward was always proportioned to the 
wealth of the dreamer. 

"For the same reason, I suppose, he endeavored to make 
them all converts to the doctrine of witchcraft. How well he 
succeeded will astonish no one who is acquainted with the super- 
stitious tendencies of human nature. In an incredibly short 
time a multitude of children were bewitched, or believed to be 
by their parents and friends. Smith in all cases undertook the 
cure, but only for a handsome consideration. 

"Trances were not at all uncommon. It was decidedly 
unfashionable not to have been in a trance. Almost every one 
could give a tolerably fair description of Heaven, could tell 
exactly how Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob looked, the seats 
beside the throne they occupied, and the robes they wore. 

" Many of these descriptions were infinitely amusing. One old 
woman, who had been noted for industry, declared that Heaven, 
as it appeared to her, was a very nice cool room, where they 
had plenty of biscuit, and didn't have to work. Another said, 
' she didn't see any biscuit, but they had very fine garments, and 
sat in rocking-chairs all day.' 

" ' But is there any night, Becca V said a gaping listener. 



94 Female Life among the Mormons. 



" - Something like it ; kind of a night ; of course they want to 
rest.' 

" 'But "they don't work?' 

u 1 No ; yet they sing, and shout, and march round, you know, 
and that's nearly as tiresome.' 

" ' But who did you see there, Becca V 

" ' Oh ! a great many, but they were all Mormons.' 

" Smith here stepped forth and said, he supposed some good 
men had gone to Heaven before Mormonism was revealed. 
Indeed, he knew that was the case ; for once, and only a short 
time, too, after the blessed revelation had been made known to 
him, he was travelling alone in a wood, when he heard his voice 
called, and turning, beheld an angel. This ^ngel was commis- 
sioned to carry him to Heaven, that he might preach the good 
news of Mormonism there. He consented, and in two days' 
time had converted all the heavenly inhabitants. 

" Mormonism, perhaps, more than any other religion, is con- 
tinually changing its phases. It has no stereotyped dogmas to 
which its teachers are required to give unqualified assent. It 
has no colleges, where its youth are trained to believe just what 
their elders tell them, and nothing more. If they will assert 
that Smith was a true prophet, the Book of Mormon a true 
history, and the Mormon people the only true church, little 
more is required of them. They are never asked, which is the 
most heinous, 1 the sin of omission or commission V whether 
the human heart is totally or only partially depraved ? whether 
grace is free or restricted ? or whether the saints can fall out by 
the way, or must persevere to the end. 

"In short," said Mrs. Murray, "take away the dreams, and 
visions, and miracles, and very little remains. Its author had 
not sufficient genius to form a system really great or noble, or 
one that should be an enduring monument of human ability, but 
it addresses itself to the venal desires of men, encourages their 



Quaint Portkaits op Mormon Elders. 95 

superstitions, and gratifies their passions. Hence is the secret 
of its strength." 



CHAPTER IX. 

MORMON PROPHETS AND ELDERS. 

IT is questionable if ever, siTice the time that Saul was found 
among the prophets, such a heterogeneous mixture of inspired 
men, or those professing inspiration, had ever been collected 
together in one place as frequently assembled at Mormon meet- 
ings. Great fat burly men, little short puny men — men who in 
shape and stature reminded one of ostriches, men with small 
heads and little sense, or great heads without any sense at all ; 
men well-dressed and ill-dressed. Some had their lips stained 
with tobacco, the noses of others were smeared with snuff, and 
the breaths of not a few were rank with whisky. Different 
nations also were ably represented. Here was a thick-set 
square-backed Dutchman, eager to talk and take part in the 
meeting, and highly offended at everybody because they could 
not tell what he said. Not far off was a Frenchman gabbling 
and gesticulating, as only a Frenchman can gabble and gesticu- 
late, to a tall raw-boned Irishman, who stood gaping and listen- 
ing. These men were all elders and prophets. They used to 
meet together to discuss questions of business, but Smith, who 
always directed the meetings, would only propose the most 
indifferent and puerile subjects, and these being hurried over, he 
would call on them to rehearse their dreams or visions, as well 
as their success in working miracles. 

As the sisters were usually permitted to be present, though 
generally forbidden to take part in the deliberations, I per- 



96 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



suaded Mrs. Murray to accompany me on one occasion. To add 
to the interest of the meeting several missionaries who had been 
out preaching had returned, and were expected to give some 
account of their success. 

Smith opened the meeting with prayer, then a hymn of 
thanksgiving was sung, after which the missionaries, as most to 
be honored, were requested to speak, beginning with the eldest. 
The words were scarcely spoken, when a little, puny, withered 
creature, who, to judge from his phrenological developments, 
was only a few degrees removed fftnn the idiot, arose. 

"Friends, prophets, saints, fellow-laborers, and co-workers," 
he began, in a sort of squeaking voice, that exceeded beyond all 
comparison the nasal twang of the Yankee, " I 'steem meself 
onered, greatly onered, in beiug ere this night, and, 'bove all, that 
I be permitted to 'dress this augush 'sembly. It duz me more 
good than I spress — duz, indeed. You know, brothren, you 
wern't willin' for me to go out preachin', but I felt it right here 
[and he laid his hand on his forehead], and here I felt it too 
[his hand was then applied to the region of the heart]. I 
knowed that I must tell the good tidings of our great Prophet 
here or be cursed — brothren, I don't say damned, because that 
is like the heathen, our enemies. Brothren, I sed I knowed that 
my duty called me to preach, but I didn't know that I should 
be called on to suffer martyrdom. Yes, brothren, a martyr and 
confessor both stands among you." 

All eyes were turned to the little speaker, and a smile rested 
on several countenances. 

" Brother Flitter will please be as explicit as possible," said 
Mr. Ward. 

" Tell us of your converts," suggested Smith. 

" It pleased the Lord and his Prophet," resumed Flitter, 
" that I should suffer martyrdom, and three several times I fell 
into the hands of the enemy." 



A Missionary's Experience. 



97 



Mr. Ward rather fidgeted in his seat, and I saw him direct 
several glances towards Smith, in hopes, I suppose, that he 
would put a stop to the absurd harangue, but the Prophet, who 
sat with two confederates behind the altar, seemed perfectly 
indifferent to the affair. Flitter proceeded : 

" My first martyrization was riding hossback ; I ain't use to 
riding that way, and it shook me up all over. I raly thought 
sometimes that my stomach would tumble out. I think it did 
get misplaced, and that's one reason why I can't eat corn-bread 
the way I did once." 

" Eat more of it now, I reckon," said a voice. 

" No ; but just wait till I get through, as I am the oldest 
missioner, and the one what's suffered martyrdom. Where was 
I ? — let me see ? — Oh ! I know. Well, the next time was from 
young chickens. You see, I guv out word that I'd hold a 
meeting at a school-house. Well, when I went there I didn't 
see anybody stirrin', so thinks I they hav'n't got here yet, but 
all of a suddent about twenty boys leaped up from behind the 
benches, and began firing eggs at me with might and main. I 
opened my lips to speak, when plump, splash came one right 
into my mouth. It didn't taste sweet, but that ain't the wurst 
of it, I hav'n't been able to smell anything since, my nose was 
so completely numbed with the odor. Brothren, I hope I'm too 
polite to say stink, but you all know." 

Mrs. Bradish had sat for some time looking daggers at the 
speaker. At length she rose, and cried in a clear, ringing voice : 

" Brother Smith, are you asleep ?" 

" Sister, Sister Bradish," whispered some of the elders. 

She paid no attention, but kept her stern black eyes on the 
face of Smith. 

" Brother Smith, are you asleep ?" she called, in a louder tone. 
" No, sister ; I am not," he answered. 

M Then, why do you sit there, and hear us insulted in this 

5 



98 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



manner," she said, " as if we eared anything about yon fool's 
being martyrized with rotten eggs ? Now, Flitter, just sit down, 
and stop your clack, and let some one speak who can do so in a 
sensible manner. Neither is that all : if you persist in allowing 
fools to go out and preach in our name, we shall become a laugh- 
ing-stock among the heathen, if we are not so already." 

Flitter seemed rather abashed at this speech, and took his 
seat in silence. 

"Now," continued Mrs. Bradish, "if any of you have any- 
thing to say that is edifying, let's hear it." 
No one spoke. 

" Brother Pratt, please tell us what you have been about," 
said Mr. Ward. 

Brother Pratt arose and looked around on the assembly, with 
great complacency. 

" I cannot say," he began, " that any great success has 
attended my efforts ; neither have they been altogether fruitless. 
I have had the great satisfaction of baptising several into a 
knowledge of the truth. Several of my converts are making 
preparations to remove hither immediately. Bless the Lord !" 

There was a general response of " Bless the Lord," and 
" Amen." Amid the murmurs of congratulation, Brother Pratt 
sat down The little Frenchman rose next. He had been on 
a missionary tour to a colony of French emigrants in a neigh- 
boring State. 

" My friends, he commenced, " I hardly know what to say of 
myself." 

"Tell the truth," said Mrs. Bradish. 

" Yes, the truth ; but the truth an't what I wanted it to be. 
Brethren, I done all I could, but it was very little. The miracle 
wouldn't work at all. I tried it over and over again ; and, 
because the miracle wouldn't work, they wouldn't believe; and 
that's about all of it." 



Absurd Visions and Sore Temptations. 



99 



u But you made some converts, didn't you ?" inquired Smith. 

" Oh, certainly, some few women believed." 

" Yery well ; convert the women — the men will be sure to 
follow ; that's human nature," said Mr. Ward. 

The accounts given by the other missionaries contained 
nothing new or striking ; and then the prophets and dreamers 
were summoned to declare their exercises. It is scarcely possi- 
ble to imagine greater absurdities, in the line of revery and 
imagination, than these men repeated as the solemn truths of 
inspiration. Some had visions of beasts of all imaginable shapes 
and sizes, with more heads than the hydra of Hercules, and more 
horns than the mystery of the Apocalypse. Many of them had 
been severely assaulted and tempted by the devil ; and not a few 
had rejected very large bribes offered by his Sooty Majesty. To 
one he appeared sitting on a stump, smoking tobacco, with a 
rope in his hand ; but the uses of the rope were not specified. 
One had even been favored with a vision of the Almighty, and 
informed by the Divine Personage that, if he would go on in the 
way he had begun, and take Rachel Allan for his spiritual wife, 
his way would be prospered. 

Is not the reader weary of these absurdities ? Certainly, I 
am weary of repeating them. 



CHAPTER X. 

MORMON CHURCH GOVERNMENT. 

THE church government of the Mormons resembles that of 
the Catholic hierarchy, in many respects. Smith, while he 
lived, was pope. He put just what interpretation he pleased on 
the sacred Book of Mormon, fabricated just what new dogmas 



100 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



he thought proper to incorporate in the faith, and was never 
opposed, so far as my knowledge extends, by any of his followers. 
Though he professed to allow all the prophets and elders a voice 
in ecclesiastical affairs, the real business of the church was con- 
ducted by himself, with three assistants, and in these three was 
embodied the greater part of the learning and talents in the 
church. Mr. Murray had aspired to a seat of honor in the 
Mormon assembly, but he signally failed. Not discouraged, 
however, he determined to create a diversion in his favor, and 
there would, in all probability, have occurred a division in the 
church, had not the Mormons been required to unite against a 
common enemy, thus forgetting, for a time, their intestine diffi- 
culties. 

In fact, the converts to Mormonism were, generally speaking, 
of the lowest and poorest class. Very few of the prophets or 
elders had enjoyed the advantages of an ordinary English edu- 
cation. Many of them belonged to that class of religious enthu- 
siasts, who were so plentiful a few years ago, and the acme and 
aim of whose ambition was to preach. I remember several such. 
One was a young man who had been half-crazed at a Methodist 
camp-meeting, thus losing what little sense he had. After this, 
he used to roam about the country, trying to get school-houses, 
in which to hold meetings ; or stopping at private-houses, and 
wanting to preach to the inmates. Sometimes he would fix him- 
self in the centre of a village, and, standing there, would shout 
and preach at the passers-by. When the Mormons came about, 
he instantly adopted their sentiments. 

Another, was one of two brothers, both of whom were smitten 
with a mania to preach. Both were extremely ignorant, and, 
even while members of a Seventh-day Baptist society, both were 
favored with dreams and visions. The eldest, however, suc- 
ceeded in getting himself adopted pastor of the church, and then 
he opposed, by every means in his power, the preaching designs 



Fools and Knaves — Mormon Tools. 



101 



of his brother. And so, when the Mormons extended to him the 
right hand of fellowship, he could not resist their invitation to 
become an elder. 

" The way of truth is so plain," said Smith, ''that a fool can 
point it out just as well as anybody. Let those who are con- 
sidered fools by their neighbors and relatives come to us — we 
will make them kings and priests." 

And certainly a multitude of fools accepted the invitation. 

" Let a man come to me, believe my gospel and preach it, and 
all his sins shall be forgiven. He shall have riches, honors, and 
all the wives he wishes for in this world, and in the next, life 
everlasting." 

And thieves, and cut-throats, and swindlers accepted the offer. 

Mrs. Murray one day gave me the history of several Mormon 
leaders of this latter class. One had served ten years of his life 
in the State Prison. He had been convicted of robbing the 
mail, but before he was taken had concealed the money, and 
when his term was expired joined the Mormons with his booty. 
Any one who brought gold to the coffers of the church was 
welcomed, and so this desperado was immediately taken to the 
embrace of the faithful, and two or three beautiful girls, or girls 
that would have been beautiful, with suitable dress and adorn- 
ments, were bestowed on him for spiritual wives. 

Another had been convicted of murder, though subsequently 
pardoned by the Governor of the State. Others had been con- 
victed and punished for grand larceny and other crimes, but 
their delinquencies were forbidden to be spoken of, and every 
one was commanded to treat them with respect. 

" How is it possible, Mr. Ward, that you can associate with 
such men on terms of equality ? I pray that you will not bring 
them here to dine with me again." 

" You are unreasonable, madam," he answered, " they are our 
tools to work with." 



102 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" 1 clo not understand you," I replied. 

" But you will, when we have won a kingdom, and find our- 
selves placed among the noble and great ones of the earth." 

" Won a kingdom ! Your language is still more mysterious," 
I answered. "Please be explicit." 

" Do you suppose that we, the followers of a new faith, and 
the organizers of a new system, are always to be held in lead- 
ing strings. Our policy is to become independent of the heathen? 
in civil as well as social matters. We will have our own laws, 
institutions and government." 

" But how is all this to be accomplished ?" 

" By accommodating ourselves to all kinds of people that can 
be of any service to us when the struggle comes." 

" But you do not meditate treason against the United States 
Government, do you ? If such is the case, beware." 

" What is the United States to me, that I should remain in 
obedience to a form of laws and state of society that my soul 
abhors ?" 

"But you are a subject of that government, *and within its 
jurisdiction must be governed by its laws." 

" That may be the case now ; it will not be always," he 
answered. " We look forward to a state and condition of inde- 
pendence, peaceably if we can have it so ; if not, by war. Such 
is the promise of G-od, and in that we confide." 

The wildness of this scheme was only equalled by its temerity, 
and could only have originated in the brain of enthusiasts or 
fanatics. Subsequently I obtained a further insight into their 
views, as likewise what was to be the full development of 
Mormonism. 

Mr. Ward and Mrs. Bradish used frequently to strengthen 
each other's faith in the good time coming. 

I found that, according to their views of polity, all civil 
government should be administered by the church — that the 



Mormon Estimate of Women. 



103 



officers of the church should be considered the nobles of the 
land — that the church offices should be held hereditarily by cer- 
tain families — that treason to the church, and the murder of a 
brother in the faith were the only crimes they considered worthy 
of death — that a Mormon could not possibly, under any circum- 
stances, be indebted to the heathen, because the world, and all 
it contained, having been originally intended for the saints, it 
was their privilege to appropriate whatever they thought proper. 
Such abominable doctrines were not long in producing their 
legitimate fruits. If a murderer or assassin fled from justice he 
was taken at once, protected and concealed by the Mormons ; 
children were persuaded by them to abandon their parents, 
and silly women, for their sake, not unfrequently left their hus- 
bands and relatives. 

Every child born of Mormon parents was considered a mem- 
ber of the church. Females were restricted from marrying 
unbelievers, by the severest penalties. Indeed, according to the 
rules and practice of Mormonism, are decidedly inferior beings, 
created to minister to the wants and passions of men, and only 
admitted to the communion of the faithful in this world and the 
next, in consideration of the husband. Hence the females were 
treated little better than slaves, were required to do all the 
drudgery, were frequently subjected to corporeal punishment, 
and painfully impressed with a sense of their inferiority in a 
thousand ways. Having occasion one day to go by the house 
occupied by the Prophet, Mrs. Clarke and Irene, I saw the former 
sitting lazily on the door-stone, basking in the sun, while the two 
women were at work in the neighboring corn-field. 

I approached the fence, paused, and spoke. Irene continued 
her work, looking downcast and moody. Mrs. Clarke rested a 
moment, but glanced timidly towards her master, said she was in 
a great hurry— that she had designed to call and see me, but 



104 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



was forbidden to leave home. I bade her farewell, and she hur- 
ried on. 

A few days afterwards I was sitting alone, when Mrs. Clarke 
came in. She looked so pale, wan, and disconsolate, that it 
made one's heart ache to see her. She took my hand, and burst 
into tears. 

" Oh, Mrs. Ward, I am the most miserable creature alive," 
she exclaimed : " Oh, dear, why did I leave my husband ? why 
did I ever go near that vile impostor ? I am ruined, soul and 
body, indeed I am !" 

" I hope uot so bad as that, Mrs. Clarke." 

" Oh, you don't know, you cannot know," she answered, bit- 
terly. 

" Mrs. Clarke," I said, "is your distress merely mental, or do 
you have to undergo physical burdens, for which your strength 
is incapable ?" 

" Alas," she answered, u how is it possible for me to tell you 
all I suffer, all I have suffered ? How can I describe the bitter- 
ness of unceasing remorse ? My husband's countenance of 
despair and anguish is continually before me ; the cries of my 
children ring uninterruptedly in my ears. Then the cruelty of 
this man, for whom I have forsaken all, and the bitter hate of 
Irene, who employs every means to prejudice him against me." 

" But, why should Irene hate you," I inquired. 

" She natters herself with the belief that if I was once out 
of the way, she would reign as the sole wife and favorite of the 
Prophet. It was her machinations that induced him to find a 
new husband for Mrs. Cook. She fabricated some infamous 
falsehoods about that woman ; accused her of being lazy, said 
she devoured the delicacies of the table which Smith desired to 
have reserved for himself. Smith,, attempted to chastise her 
with an ox-goad, when she turned on him, scratched and bit 



Sufferings of a Spiritual Wife. 105 



him severely, and blackened one of his eyes into the bargain. I 
think he would have had the worst of it, had not Irene hastened 
to assist him. As it was, they succeeded in fastening her bands, 
and confining her in the loft, where she remained until Smith 
induced Mr. Murray to receive her." 
" How abominable I" I exclaimed. 

"Irene hates me, and I am afraid of her. There is some- 
thing in her countenance that puts me continually on my guard. 
I often see her looking at me with a fiendish expression that 
makes me shudder ; but that is nothing, nothing to what I am 
forced by him to endure. Look here," and she displayed her 
arms and bosom black with hideous bruises, " see, these are the 
marks of beatings that he has given me." 

*f Oh, Mrs. Clarke, that is dreadful ; but how did you offend 
him V 3 

" I was sick, and weak, and weary, and did not perform as 
much labor in the corn-field as he thought I ought to. Oh, my 
dear abandoned husband, what would you say if you could 
know my misery !" 

" And yet you were delicately nurtured ?" I said. 

"To be sure I was," she answered, "and entirely unaccus- 
tomed to physical labor. Now I am compelled, by stripes and 
punishment, to perform the most menial drudgery. It really 
seemed, last winter, that it would be impossible for me to live 
till spring. I cannot tell you how much I suffered from cold, 
privation, and weariness. Irene took my best clothes, and then 
Smith made me wear her old rags. I had no shoes, and yet I 
was forced to go out in all kinds of weather to pick up and bring 
home wood, to beg an armful of hay for the cow, that seemed 
very near starving, as Smith would take no pains whatever to 
provide even the commonest necessaries of life." 

" Well, Mrs. Clarke, I would advise you to escape from 
them if possible, and return to your friends. They would 

5* 



106 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



gladly receive yon, even now, as the repentant prodigal," I 
said. 

" Oh, I know that they would," she answered ; " and 
heaven knows how earnestly I desire it. I could almost weep 
tears of blood, in rny deep repentance, but 'tis all in vain, in 
vain 1" 

I looked at the poor woman, and how forcibly were the warn- 
ings of her husband recalled to my memory ; yet he spoke not 
in anger, but sorrow. Did she remember it ? — as if a woman 
could ever forget such a scene. 

Mrs. Clarke soon after bade me adieu, and I saw no more of 
her for some time. Meantime, the winter set in exceedingly 
cold, with much snow. I had mentioned to no one the sufferings 
of Mrs. Clarke, as I feared to expose her to more rigorous cru- 
elties, in the event of Smith's hearing of it, which I doubted not 
he would. Once I had seen her toiling through the icy mud and 
sleet, carrying a bag on her shoulders, which had the appear- 
ance of Indian meal. 

I wonder that your Prophet is not ashamed of himself, to 
make such a slave of that poor woman ; it is really too bad," I 
said to Mrs. Bradish. 

"Why, what else is she good for?" said the lady; "she 
brought nothing to the Church. Then she is not beautiful, and 
he only keeps her for the sake of her services." 

" And yet, Mrs. Bradish, he persuaded her to abandon a good 
home, to leave a husband by whom she was idolized, and 
almost break the hearts of her innocent children," I said, 
earnestly. 

" So much the more fool she," said Mrs. Bradish, unfeelingly. 
" I have no pity for these weak, silly women, who cannot take 
care of themselves, but sit down and cry, baby-like, over wrongs 
and inflictions. But Mrs. Clarke had better be careful to whom 
she makes her complaints," 



The Marriage Contract Annulled. 10 1 

" Why so ?" I inquired. 

" It won't do to tell everything you know/' and Mrs. Bradish 
left thejoom." 

About a week after this conversation, Mrs. Murray called one 
morning with the startling intelligence that Mrs. Clarke was 
nowhere to be found. "She came to my house yesterday," con- 
tinued the narrator, " and I thought her senses wandering. She 
said she was going back to ask the forgiveness of her husband 
and die. When I told her it was a long distance, she faintly 
smiled, and said it was further to heaven. I tried to detain 
her, but could not, and Irene tells me that no one knows where 
she is." 

" And Irene is delighted, I suppose ?" 

" She does not seem to be very sorry," resumed Mrs. Murray ; 
" and, indeed, I cannot even conjecture what us women are all 
coming too," observed the latter, with a sigh. "My husband 
has now been absent a whole week. He ceased to make provi- 
sion for our necessities some time ago, and we have become 
reduced to the last extremity. There is neither meat, milk, nor 
butter in the house ; nothing but a small panful of Indian meal, 
and two or three eggs." 

" But where is he all this time ?" I inquired. 

" Living with Mrs. Cook. The last time I saw him, he told 
me, that he had promised Smith to provide for Mrs. Cook ; that 
he should do so, and that if I would not permit her to come and 
live in the same house with me, he should abandon me for her 
altogether. I told him that he could do as he thought proper, 
but that I was his wife in the eyes of God and man. This he 
denied, and when I required an explanation, he told me that the 
marriage ceremony performed between us was null and void, 
because we were unbelievers at the time of its celebration, and 
so I am to be repudiated. I understand that she has borne 
him a son, who has been named after their Prophet," 



108 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" They will not be apt to live happily together for any length 
of time," I remarked. 

"And yet I do not wish them unhappiness," she answered ; 
" I have not forgotten that he is my husband, and the father of 
my children, and how kind and affectionate he used to be." 

<B> 

CHAPTER XL 

MORMON OUTRAGES. 

THE occupation of a considerable tract of land had been 
the Mormon policy ; but instead of removing altogether 
beyond the boundaries of the white settlements, and taking 
possession of uninhabited districts, they chose a situation in a 
tolerably thickly-settled country. In this region they estab- 
lished a sort of outposts, communicating together by a liue of 
Mormon families. These lines embraced the farms and property 
of many unbelievers, whom it became the interest of the Mor- 
mons to dispossess in some way or other. "To drive out the 
heathen," was a constant expression of their purposes. Some 
of the more zealous proposed that the Prophet should smite 
them all with death as the first-born of Egypt were smitten. 
This, however, he prudently declined on the ground of clemency. 
It was then proposed that their conversion should be attempted, 
but that plan, for some reason, failed, and the final decision was 
to plunder, harass, and distress them, until they were obliged to 
remove for the sake of peace. Smith asserted that it had been 
revealed to him, that all the grain, poultry, in short, that all 
the property, of every description, embraced within the 
established bounds of Mormonclom, was designed by Heaven for 
the saints, and that they were ordered to go out and take pos- 



Systematic Robberies. 



109 



session. Some of the farmers, whose property was to be made 
a spoil, were able men, with abundance of grain and vegetables. 
They were entirely ignorant of the systematic plan of depreda- 
tions of which they were ro be the victims. Many of them had 
been very friendly to the Mormons, but that was nothing with 
the fanatics, who were quite as deficient in gratitude as the 
other virtues. The depredations were to be carried on secretly, 
under cover of the night, and the perpetrators were all sworn 
to secresy, all pledged to support each other, and, in all cases, 
to refuse to give any information before legal tribunals, or in 
any other way. 

In fact, it was the regular organization of a banditti, with 
Smith at their head. Mrs. Bradish I found to be deeply 
interested in the affair. She beheld in this the furtherance of 
her ambitious schemes. 

"I will be to the Mormons what Deborah was to the 
children of Israel," she remarked one day. 

" But will the Mormons permit a woman to judge them, as 
Deborah judged Israel ?" I asked. 

" Under ordinary cases they would not, probably ; yet the 
property which I have given to the church entitles me to the 
highest seat among its leaders," she replied. 

" Are situations- in the Mormon church proportioned to the 
amount of property bestowed by the candidates for ecclesiastical 
honors ?" I inquired. 

"They are," she answered ; "but we can never rise to the 
state and dignity we desire as Mormon rulers, until the heathen 
are spoiled and driven from our midst." 

Now commenced a regular system of depredation. Every 
night, particularly when the weather was dark and stormy, a 
company of the most daring and desperate would sally forth, 
like beasts of prey, on their nocturnal errands. Sometimes they 
would return, laden with plunder of all descriptions. At others, 



110 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



they obtained very little. Not unfrequently murders were com- 
mitted, highway robberies perpetrated, and villanies of a still 
darker hue enacted. The whole country was alarmed, the 
newspapers teemed with conjectures, and rewards were offered 
for the perpetrators, by the public authorities, but without 
success. No one suspected the Mormons. They were quiet, 
and apparently peaceable. It was even proposed to them to 
join with the others in attempting to ferret out the villains. 
This was readily acceded to, from the supposition that being 
acquainted with the plans of their enemies, they could the more 
easily elude and lead them off on a false scent. 

It had been decided on a particular occasion, to have a guard 
stationed around the domestic premises of every man in the 
neighborhood. As usual, the services of several Mormons had 
been offered and accepted, but the watches were all doomed to 
disappointment, not a robber appeared, not a single marauder 
was found abroad. However, when those who had come from a 
distance, returned to their homes, imagine their astonishment at 
finding everything in the greatest disorder, the women frightened, 
the barns despoiled, and the houses plundered. A barrel of pork 
had been taken from one place, a sack of flour from another, and 
a bag of potatoes from a third. A fat cow had been driven off 
and butchered in an adjoining wood. Several hogs and sheep 
likewise had shared the same fate. The agitation of the country 
exceeded all bounds, but no clue could be obtained to the per- 
petrators of the crimes. The Mormons, meanwhile, lived on the 
fat of the land, laughed at the mystification of their enemies, 
and augured from so good a beginning, a most auspicious end. 

But a change came over the spirit of their dream. Mr. 
McDavit, a gentleman of wealth and respectability, detected a 
Mormon leader in his poultry-house slaughtering the inmates. 
McDavit attempted to detain him a prisoner, when the Mormon 
pulled out a pistol, severely wounded his assailant, and fled. 



The "Regulators. 5 



Ill 



A civil process was immediately instituted, but the accused 
denied all knowledge of the crime, talked of being persecuted 
for righteousness' sake, and came into court fortified by a multi- 
tude of witnesses, who positively testified that on the night in 
question, he had been engaged with them in a religious meeting. 
He was accordingly discharged. Yarious occurrences of a simi- 
lar character happened soon after, and suspicion settled on the 
Mormons. 

The impossibility of bringing them to justice in the ordinary 
way, aroused the Regulators. These were a company of the 
most robust, brave, and resolute young men of the vicinity, who 
were regularly enrolled like a band of military, with officers of 
their choosing, and whose business was the cognizance and 
punishment of crimes and outrages that were beyond the reach 
of the law. Whatever may be thought of the illegality of their 
proceedings, it is certain that their presence was a great restraint 
to evil-doers. 

One day I was standing before the door of our dwelling, when 
a Mormon prophet passed along, a beautiful young girl leaning 
on his arm. This prophet I knew as a man of family, but the 
girl was a stranger. 

" Who is that girl yonder, leaning on the arm of Brother 
Hyde ?" I said, addressing Mrs. Bradish. 

" Her name is or was Corneilia Cornish," answered the lady. 

" Where did she come from ; I never saw her before P I 
questioned. 

" Erom some of the neighboring villages, I believe. Elder 
Hyde converted her, and brought her here, and now she lives in 
his family. He is very fond of her." 

" Oh ! Mrs. Bradish, do you regard such things as right and 
proper ?" I exclaimed earnestly. 

" Certainly I do, why not ? Who has forbidden it V she 
answered. 



112 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" Not Joseph Smith," I replied. 

" And no one else, whose words are worth listening to," she 
said. 

M Your own Bible favors such a system. And " 

"Mrs. Bradish," I said, "it is against the laws of the laud, 
and now at least, it is our interest to conform to these laws ; 
much I fear, that we shall render ourselves accursed. 

u Have you no dread of the Regulators ; you know well that 
the whole country is aroused against us." 

" How should I know any such thing ?" she asked angrily 

" How could you help knowing it ?" 

" But what has that to do with the Regulators ?" 

" Corneilia Cornish may have a brother, or cousin, or lover, 
who will not faucy her living with Elder Hyde." 

11 Look yonder," said Mrs. Bradish, suddenly, " there's Brother 
Clayton — sure as I'm alive — coming here, too !" 

Brother Clayton was returning from a missionary tour. 

"Well, Brother/' said Mrs. Bradish, "I hope you have some 
good news to tell us. Things go on rather badily here. The 
heathen cannot be made to understand that only the saints are 
entitled to the good things of the land. But I trust that you 
have made many converts, and that we shall soon see them here, 
united with us." 

" Generally speaking," said Brother Clayton, " I have had 
good success. The heathen were generally willing, and in some 
places anxious to hear the truth. Once only was I threatened 
with difficulty." 

" How was that ?" 

" About twenty miles hence. I stopped at a small village, and 
gave out a notice of an intended meeting at seven o'clock that 
night, specifying also the place and the subject. I saw nothing in 
the least alarming or riotous, till about two hours previous to 
the time, when the meeting was appointed to commence. Then 



Tidings of Mrs. Clarke. 



113 



a company assembled, forced themselves into my presence, 
carried me from the room, notwithstanding my efforts to the 
contrary, mounted me on an old good-for-nothing horse, whom 
they drove before them for a mile beyond the village." 

"Persecuted for righteousness' sake/ 7 said Mrs. Bradish. 

" For a long time they refused to give me any satisfaction 
about the matter, till one more candid than the others, perhaps, 
pitying my degradation, observed : — ■ 

" * It is nothing that you have said or done personally, that 
has occasioned this. You may be a very good man, for what we 
know, but some months ago, as one of our citizens was walking 
out one evening, he heard a moan by the road-side. Hastening 
to the spot whence the sound proceeded, he found a poor woman 
lying on the ground, apparently in the last stage of exhaustion. 
He assisted her to rise and conducted her to his house. Though 
her mind seemed wandering at times, she told a very straight, 
connected story of herself, and how she came in that forlorn 
situation.' 

'" And this," said I to the narrator. " This is nothing to me." 

u 1 Hear me out,' he said. ' This poor woman had been per- 
suaded by the Mormons to leave her husband, had gone with 
them, and lived with their Prophet as his wife, two others shar- 
ing at the same time the same honor. Then he grew tired of 
her, and abused her shamefully; even then she bore on her back 
and person the marks of his blows ; and being seized with par- 
tial insanity, the result of her troubles and sufferings, she wan- 
dered off with the design of going back to her husband, that she 
might ask his forgiveness, and die at his feet. That,' continued 
the narrator, 'gave us enough of Mormonism ; we want 
nothing to do with it, or its professors, and, now sir, you must 
promise never to enter our village again.' 

" I hesitated." 

" 1 Promise,' he said, ' it will be best for you. I am a man of 



114 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



peace : I want no difficulty with any one. If you promise what 
we desire, well and good ; if not, you will receive a complete coat 
of tar and feathers. What do you say ?' 

" 1 will make the promise that you require." 

" And so they dismissed you without further violence ?" said 
Mrs. Bradish. 

" But did you hear what became of the poor woman at last ?" 
I inquired. 

" I believe they wrote to her husband, or something, but I 
can't tell the particulars," said Clayton, who took his leave soon 
after. 

"Poor Mrs. Clarke," I said. "What a cruel destiny was 
hers." 

"Yet it was her own fault," said Mrs. Bradish. "Why 
didn't she make the best of her circumstances, and if Brother 
Smith grew tired of her, content herself with some one else. 
She was continually puling about her husband — her husband. 
If she thought so much of him, what did she leave him for ? I 
told Brother Smith, the first time I saw her, that she was a 
weak, silly woman, who didn't know her own mind two hours at 
a time, and who would probably disgrace the cause. Now you 
see that my prophecy has been accomplished." 



CHAPTER XII. 

REGULATORS. 

AS I expected, and had warned Mrs. Bradish, Corneilia Cor- 
nish had a brother, a cousin, and a lover, all three, who 
were greatly displeased at her conversion to Mormonism, and 
her intimacy with the Mormon elder. Various plans had been 



Unwelcome Visitors. 115 

devised to get lier out of his hands, without a resort to violence, 
but the old fellow was too wide awake, and too chary of his bird 
for that. Every scheme was a failure, and disappointment only 
irritated them the more. Rumors of approaching troubles 
frequently reached us. Mr. Ward and Mrs. Bradish treated the 
matter with indifference. It was evident, however, that they 
felt much more anxiety than they thought proper to manifest. 
I made no djsguise of my feelings, and being in nightly expecta- 
tion of an outbreak, hesitated not to say so. I knew that a 
deadly hatred was excited throughout the country against the 
Mormons, and I felt that the revenge must be deep that could 
bide its time. 

The spring had far advanced, when we were awakened one 
night by the heavy tramp of horsemen. 

"The Regulators I" I whispered to Mr. Ward. 

He sprang from his bed, hastily threw on his garments, and 
prepared to go out. 

I attempted to detain him. 

"What! stay and hide myself like a coward, when my 
friends and associates are being murdered! Impossible!" he 
said. 

Mrs. Bradish came from her chamber, armed. 
" Are the Regulators out ?" she inquired. 
" I believe so," said Mr. Ward. 

" Let's go and see what they are doing, and who they are 
after ?" said the heroic woman. 

The words were no more than spoken, when a violent blow 
with a cudgel broke open our door, and in marched nearly a 
dozen men armed with muskets, rifles, pistols and bowie-knives. 
Mr. Ward made a sign to Mrs. Bradish, and advanced good- 
humoredly towards them. 

" My friends, what is your errand here to-night V 1 he said. 

"We want Jo' Smith, and we want that devil Hyde. We 



116 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



want yon, too, and all the rest of the Mormon vagabonds ; and 
that ain't all, we'll have them too." 

" Yery well, take whom you can get/' and he sprang through 
the window. The Regulators rushed after him with a loud 
shout. Mrs. Bradish declared that she would follow. 

" But where will you go ?" I inquired. 

" Oh ! round here, to see what they are doing," she replied. 

I stood for a moment, and then determined to accompany her. 
I felt anxious about my husband, and knew, moreover, that the 
Regulators could have no motive to injure or molest me. 

" Don't staud there trembling," said Mrs. Bradish, " but 
come with me, and know the worst of it." 

I took her arm, and we sallied out. 

There was no moon, and only a pale starlight. We saw 
lights in the distance, and heard strange and horrid outcries, 
mingled with oaths and blasphemies, and fiendish laughter. 
Approaching nearer we saw that Smith and Hyde were both 
prisoners. Corneilia Cornish had been mounted on a horse, 
behind a wild-looking boy. Her hands were bound, and she 
was otherwise fastened to the saddle. 

" We've got two of the birds," called out one of the Regula- 
tors ; " now we want the cuss that stole McDavit's hens." 

" I don't think we shall find any more of them to-night," said 
another. "Don't you see there's nobody to be found but 
women and children. We don't want to hurt them poor devils, 
they have a bad time enough of it I guess." 

In fact, confiding in the honor of the Regulators, the men 
had all fled, leaving the women and children. 

" No ; we won't hurt the women and children ; but these fel- 
lows must have a touch. Where's the tar ?" 

" Take 'em to the woods," said one. 

" No ! no I Let these ladies see their Prophet transformed 
into an ostrich," cried another. 



Midnight Murder, 



111 



" Mercy ! mercy !" shrieked Hyde, as he saw one approaching 
with a kettle of tar. 

Mrs. Bradish could no longer control her anger. She held 
her pistol with a nervous grasp, the ^ next moment it exploded, 
and the ball pierced the brain of the man with the kettle of tar. 
He reeled, and fell with a groan, saturating himself with the 
pitchy compound. The Regulators were astounded. 

" Who done that ?" they all cried in a breath, some hastening 
to relieve him, and others looking for the perpetrator of the 
deed. 

" Here I am," said Mrs. Bradish ; " I did it." 

There was something sublime in her appearance, as she stood 
grasping the weapon, her head uncovered, her dark hair stream- 
ing in the night wind, and her brow unblenched, though 
surrounded by deadly foes. 

The Regulators crowded around her. A fire had been 
kindled of some dry wood and brush, and I saw by the pale, red 
gleam of the light, that their companion was dead. The sur- 
vivors gnashed their teeth with rage. 

" Stand off !" she cried, as one approached to lay his haud 
upon her. " Stand off, or I will send your soul to show you 
knave the way to hell F 

There was something terrible in her voice and look. 

"Do you think to frighten us?" said one, but his voice was 
unnoticed in the general tumult. They pressed nearer and 
nearer. " Take the pistol from her !" said one. " Give her a 
touch of the tar !" said another. " No, no ! shoot her, as she 
shot him I" cried a third. There was great confusion, and a min- 
gled uproar of voices. All at once, the countenance of Mrs. 
Bradish suddenly brightened. Her eye sparkled, and she 
laughed, oh ! such a laugh of hate and defiance. 

" Fools, knaves, villains !" she cried, " where are your prison- 
ers ? Where are the men for whom your tar was prepared ? 



118 



Female Life among the Mosmons. 



Oh, ye are noble fellows ! In your eagerness to maltreat a 
woman, your intended victims have escaped." 

It was even so. Taking advantage of the confusion, Irene had 
cautiously slipped up to the prisoners, and being provided with 
a sharp knife, cut the thongs that bound them, when they fled 
to the woods. 

" To the woods ! to the woods !" shouted several in a breath. 
" To the woods ! we must take them, dead or alive !" 

And off to the woods they started, hallooing and hurrahing. 

The brother of Corneilia Cornish mounted before her on 
horseback, and rode off. 

It is impossible to describe the deep excitement and mental 
distress that I experienced on this occasion. The woods were 
near the village, and we could plainly hear the voices and men- 
aces of the Regulators, and perceive the flickering and waving 
of their torches, as they hunted their intended victims. For 
Smith I cared nothing ; I knew that he had outraged and 
insulted all woman-kind, in the persons of Ellen and Mrs. Clarke. 
I should have esteemed it an act of retributive justice, had some 
friendly shot interposed to put a period to his existence ; but 
my husband was absent, and he, though a Mormon, had always 
been kind to me. My imagination pictured him as likewise an 
inhabitant of that forest. He might fall into their hands. The 
thought was horrible — and then the dreadful uncertainty. We 
listened ; the sounds and menaces grew indistinct, the lights 
died in the distance, and we returned to our homes. 

All the remainder of that night, and the next day, we passed 
in the greatest anxiety. I say " we," for Mrs. Bradish, even 
more than myself, gave way to gloom, and care, and despond- 
ency. I only feared for my husband ; her concern was for the 
Prophet, the elders, and the Church. She trembled lest her air- 
built castles of ambition were to be suddenly overthrown. 
Through the day we received intimation that the Regulators 



Escape of Mr. Ward. 



119 



were lingering in the vicinity, and that a guard was stationed 
around the wood. 

" Then there is no hope !" I said bitterly. 

" There is always hope/' said Mrs. Bradish. " Do you dis- 
trust the protecting arm of Providence ?" 

" I have not your faith," I answered gloomily. 

" Because you do not understand the gospel — because you are 
not a believer in the truth," she answered. 

Mrs. Bradish was one of those singular characters, who unite 
to great resolution and intellectual power, a decided tendency to 
religious fanaticism. The world has seen many such — men and 
women — who, having imbibed a belief in some superstitious 
dogma, find all their preconceived opinions of right and wrong, 
good and evil, at once overturned ; and in their stead, a deep 
and prevailing desire for the ultimate triumph of their novel 
tenets. Then, too, she was ambitious ; she aspired to a place 
of distinction in the church ; and who shall describe the resolute 
will, and deep, unconquerable strength of purpose, that arises 
from fanaticism united with ambition ? 

The hours passed away ; night came, dark and gloomy. TTe 
retired to our chambers earlier than usual, but sleep was a 
stranger to my eyes. I am not naturally superstitious, but 
unusual terrors had taken possession of me. Strange noises 
echoed in my ears. Mutterings, chatterings, and solemn-toned 
night-calls, sounded through the gloom. More than once I fan- 
cied that screams of terror disturbed the silence ; but overcome 
with fatigue and mental excitement, towards morning I fell into 
an uneasy slumber. I was awakened from this by a voice 
beneath the window — a real, veritable human voice. The tone 
was familiar. It was that of my husband. 

" Be still as possible," he said in a low tone. M The Regu- 
lators are not far off. But go down and unfasten one of the 
lower windows." 



120 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" Why not the door ?" I inquired. 

" That would be dangerous. Open the window to the south," 
he replied. 

I obeyed him, and the next moment he leaped into my arms. 

" Where have you been ? what have you suffered ? why 
should those fellows be after you V I inquired. 

"Oh, Maria, I cannot tell you all 1" he replied. " But I am 
very hungry ; indeed, I am. I have had no food since yes- 
terday. 7 ' 

**■ Your hunger shall be satisfied," I answered. " I pre- 
pared an unusual quantity of food, in anticipation of a visit 
from you." And I soon spread before him a very palatable 
meal. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



THE FOREST 



i% "1 TY dear," said Mr. Ward, when he had satisfied his 

_3Jl luinger, " I will gratify your curiosity so far as I am 
able. Blood has certainly been spilt, but more of the Regu- 
lators have fallen than the Mormons ; at least, so I think." 

" Who have fallen of the Mormons ?" I inquired. 

" Well, two or three of the elders, with whom you were 
unacquainted ; and Mr. Murray has been severely wounded." 

" He has ! but where is he ?" 

" In the forest. It is impossible to convey him home ; and 
then he would not be in safety there." 
" Does his wife know ?" I asked. 

" The last one does — the other does not. He requested me to 



Mr. Ward's Account of his Escape. 



121 



tell Sister Sally; and, notwithstanding the danger, I came 
round that way on purpose." 

" And what did she say ?" 

" She didn't say much to it." 

By this time, Mrs. Bradish had arisen, dressed herself hastily, 
and came to our apartment. 

"The Lord has heard my prayers," she said fervently. 
" Blessed be His name ! Faith and prayers can accomplish 
wonders. But now begin at the first, and tell us all that you 
have seen and heard. Where did you go when you fled, that 
night ?" 

" Of course I fled immediately to the forest : that was the 
only place of safety. The Regulators pursued me a short dis- 
tance, and then returned. Anxious to ascertain what they were 
doing with you, I crept along stealthily behind them, and finally 
succeeded in concealing myself in a small clump of briar, where 
I could watch all their proceedings without being seen." 

"Then, you saw when Brother Smith and Deacon Hyde 
escaped ?" said Mrs. Bradish. 

"I was a witness to your bravery on that occasion. Surely, 
if ever a woman deserved a crown, you do. And you shall wear 
one yet ; you shall be a Priestess of the Most High — it has been 
revealed to me," said Mr. Ward. " When the Prophet and his 
companion escaped," he continued, "I followed them. We 
struck immediately into the thickest and most unfrequented 
part of the wood. In its deepest recesses, I knew a place of 
concealment, formed by the accumulated mass of fallen trees 
that a hurricane had overthrown. The trunks of some were 
lying prostrate over the limbs and branches of others, thus form- 
ing impenetrable cavities, in which detection would be almost 
impossible. Into these we crept, and, scarcely daring to breathe 
or stir, watched the approach of our foes. From our hiding- 
place, we could see them hurrying hither and thither — could 

6 



122 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



hear their threats and imprecations, and were even witnesses to 
their savage butchery of one of our friends." 

"And did you remain quiet, and see a brother slain V said 
Mrs. Bradish. 

"We could not have rescued him," returned Mr. Ward ; " and 
the attempt would only have exposed us to the peril of sharing 
his fate. To-night I beheld another deadly encounter. Oh, that 
the enemies of the Lord and hi3 people could be driven from the 
land [» 

"Amen I" responded Mrs. Bradish, solemnly. 
" You have all heard of Harry Hastings, who took such an 
active part against us, in the courts, last fall ?" 
We assented. 

"Well, this Hastings was the leader of the Regulators. I 
saw him, and penetrated his disguise ; I read, also, the deadly 
purpose concealed in his heart ; but I feared him not, believing 
that the Lord would preserve his own. I was aware, also, that 
his animosity was chiefly directed against Brother Wilson, whom 
he accused of robbing his wife." 

"As if a Mormon could be guilty of robbing," interrupted 
Mrs. Bradish. "As if the Promised Land, and all it contains, 
was not legitimately theirs." 

"We hope to make it ours," said Mr. Ward, thoughtfully; 
" but matters look rather dark, now. As I was saying, how- 
ever, when I was cautiously threading the forest on my way 
home, peering this way and that, through the darkness, and 
sometimes pausing to listen at the slightest sound, I discovered 
a man sitting on the fallen trunk of a tree, only a few yards 
from where I stood. The thick gloom of the woods prevented 
me from ascertaining whether he was a friend or an enemy, and 
I fell back into the friendly obscurity of a neighboring copse. 
In a few moments, I perceived the bright flicker of a torch, and 
heard several voices talking loudly. Peering through the bushes, 



The Regulators take Vengeance. 



123 



I beheld Wilson. The light enabled, me to perceive and 
recognize his features ; and near him was gathered a group of 
the Regulators. They were in disguise, as usual, but I knew 
the yoice of Hastings, in a moment. 

" ' Will you promise to leave the country/ he cried, impera- 
tively, ' you, and all your devilish set of rascals, if I don't shoot 
you V 

1 "I can promise nothing/ said Wilson, 'because nothing has 
been revealed.' 

" ' Been revealed— indeed ! I'll give you a revelation / and 
he struck our brother a violent blow on the face. 

"'Hold him !' cried another, 'while I cut an ox-goad; I 
fancy that will be the thing.' 

" Hastings seized Wilson, and the other commenced whipping 
him with a large long stick. Wilson, though a less powerful 
man than his enemy, was, nevertheless, strong, active, and 
sinewy, and he twisted himself from the grasp of Hastings. 
Then, irritated beyond endurance by the pain of his wounds and 
bruises, he called him various opprobrious epithets, and said that 
he would yet live to see him in hell. A howl of rage burst from 
the Regulators, at these words, and Wilson, probably aware of 
the full extent of his danger, started off, like a frightened deer. 
He was closely pursued by Hastings, who drew a large, long 
knife. The fury of madness seemed to have taken possession of 
one, while fear lent wings to the other. The other Regulators 
attempted to follow, but were soon rapidly distanced, while I 
dashed off in an oblique direction, determined to intercept their 
route, and, if possible, save my friend." 

"Bless you for that," said Mrs. Bradish. 

"I could hear the heavy sounds of feet, and the crash and 
crackle of the underwood ; then came the fall of a heavy body, 
and the next moment my hair almost stood on end, as a howl of 
terror sunk to a piteous supplication for mercy, and both were 



124 Female Life among the Mormons. 

succeeded by a yell of fiendish triumph. By this time, I had 
reached them, and, without a moment's consideration of the 
consequence, I precipitated myself on the form of Hastings, 
grappling his throat in the desperate struggle. We rolled over 
and over together ; but after that, I remember nothing." 

" And Wilson was dead, murdered ?" said Mrs. Bradish. 

" Even so. When I recovered my consciousness, it seemed at 
first that I had been dreaming. The strange, the terrible 
events of the last half hour had nearly unsettled my reason. I 
stretched out my hand ; it touched something. Oh ! how cold 
and stiff. The chill of horror that thrilled my frame, told me 
too well what it was. But I arose and groped round in the 
darkness, and soon ascertained that two, and those deadly 
enemies, had gone to the bar of the Eternal Judge. And there 
I left them. What else could I do ?" 

"And, Mr. Murray?" said Mrs. Bradish, "I understand you 
to say that he was wounded." 

"Yes ; in a desperate encounter with one of the Regulators, 
he received a wound in the side. He slew his foe, however, and 
then succeeded in reaching us. We spread him a bed of dried 
leaves, dressed his wounds as well as we were able, and with 
suitable provision, he will probably recover." 

But you have no provision ?" said Mrs, Bradish. 

"Not much, certainly," answered Mr. Ward. "There is a 
cool stream near by, to which we resort for water." 

" But you want something more than water," she said, inter- 
rupting him, " and you must have it, too ; you said that the 
woods were watched V 9 

" Yes ; strictly. I only made my escape by the merest acci- 
dent," said Mr. Ward. 

" But why does not Brother Smith exercise the miraculous 
power he professes to have, and vanish these enemies ?" I 
inquired. 



The Dilemma. 



125 



" He is merciful," said Mrs. Bradish. 
" Not to his friends," I replied. 

" The wicked must be permitted to run their race, in order 
.that their transgressions may be full," she answered. But 
that is neither here nor there, our friends must be supplied with 
necessaries ;" and she sat a few moments in deep thought. Mr. 
Ward regarded her admiringly. 

" This is my plan," she said, at length. 

Both of us listened intently. 

" You, Mr. Ward, must get two horses ; smart, able horses. 
One of these horses must be laden with provisions and necessa- 
ries, and led by you, in company with Mrs. Ward. I will array 
myself in some of your garments, and mount the other. It 
shall be my purpose to draw off these fellows on a false scent. 
On which side of the wood do you enter ?" 

" On the north side," he answered. 

" And where is the guard stationed ?" she inquired. 

" Their headquarters is that old shantee, where crazy Jim 
harbored." 

" Very well, you must keep some distance behind me, and I 
will ride along there. They will probably challenge me. I will 
then put spurs to my horse. Undoubtedly they will follow. 
You will then advance and enter the wood." 

" But why is my presence necessary ?" I inquired. 

" To return with the horse," she answered. "Mr. Ward 
must remain in concealment, and the horse, if left at large, 
would fall into the hands of the enemy." 

" Your plan looks feasible," said Mr. Ward ; " but the diffi- 
culty will be to get the horses. The village is closely watched, 
and it will be scarcely possible to get beyond its precincts with 
out being discovered." 

" Well, the attention of these fellows must be drawn to some 
other point; but you stay here while I go to reconnoitre." 



126 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" What means this masquerade ?" I said, as Mrs. B radish threw 
my husband's overcoat over her shoulders, and put on his hat. 

" Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies," she said, 
jestingly, and opening the door, she passed out into the darkness. 
I looked after her ; there was a faint gleam of starlight, just 
enough, it might be said, to make the gloom visible. For a 
moment I caught a glimpse of her figure, but it rapidly disap- 
peared. 

" Oh ! what a woman \" I said, shutting the door. 

" A brave, noble woman," said Mr. Ward. "A woman who 
will do anything to advance the interests of the church." 

Several minutes passed away, and still she returned not. I 
then went to the window, and looking out, discovered a faint 
streak of light, apparently a short distance off. It grew 
brighter and brighter as I gazed. Alarm seized me. 

" Mr. Ward, look here a moment," I said. 

He approached the window. 

u That light yonder, what is it ?" 

He shook his head. 

" Somebody's house must be on fire," I remarked," only see 
the flames how they mount upward, reddening the sky, and 
sending out showers of sparks." 

" It can't be a great way off either," he said. 

" I can plainly see the people running to and fro. And here 
comes somebody." It was Mrs. Bradish. 

Instantly dismounting, she threw the reins of the steed she 
rode over a post, and rushed into the house. 

"Quick! quick !" she cried, impatiently. "Now, while the 
rascals have employment yonder. Oh ! I've given them some- 
thing to do besides looking after us. It took fire nicely ; was 
all in a light flame in two minutes. You ought to have seen 
how they run, and heard them screech and halloo. It was 
really laughable." 



Agonizing Suspense. 



121 



" And the horses ?" said Mr. Ward. 

" Oh ! they belong to the Regulators. They were so deeply 
engaged, that they didn't perceive when I brought them off." 

Mrs. Bradish actually flew from place to place, making pre- 
paration, and getting the food and clothing ready. Loading 
these on one horse, she re-mounted the other, 

" Come, Mr. Ward, you must follow me carefully and 
cautiously." 

" But is there any need of my going ?" I said, shrinking from 
the darkness and exposure. 

Mr. Ward replied in the negative, remarking that as the 
horses already belonged to the Regulators, he would turn them 
loose, when they had served his purpose. 

"Good bye," said Mrs. Bradish, "I shall be back in two 
hours." 

" Good bye," said Mr. Ward, affectionately saluting me. 

A minute longer and I was alone with the sleeping children. 
Re-entering the house, I shut and fastened the door, and then 
sate down to meditate, and await her return. Thus, wrapped in 
a mournful revery of the past, and not very pleasant anticipa- 
tions of the future, the time wore away. The day broke, the 
clouds changed from gray to red, and from red to crimson, yet 
Mrs. Bradish came not. I grew impatient, then anxious, and 
finally uneasy. Where could she be ? What new scheme for 
the relief of the brethren, or the triumph of the Church, was 
being devised or executed ? And, wearying myself with con- 
jectures, I spent the day. 

Near evening Mrs. Murray came. She looked pale and thin. 
" Have you heard of my husband," she inquired ; " for I must 
still call him so, though he has cast me off for a younger and 
fairer woman. I cannot forget that we were once happy, and 
inspired with deeper affection for each other than most people in 
married life." 



128 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



I informed her of all I knew, and concluded by inquiring if 
she had heard or seen anything of Mrs. Bradish. 

" And so my husband is wounded ; just what I expected," 
she said. " And Sally cares nothing about it — why should 
she ? She never loved him as I have done, as I still do. It is 
not in her nature." 

While we were yet conversing, a man came in ; a total stran- 
ger, yet I saw at once, by his air and manner, that he was a 
Mormon, and soon learned that he came from a settlement of 
them about fifty miles distant. 

" I had business with the prophets and elders," he said, " but 
I find that the saints have been sorely distressed by the heathen, 
even to the loss of life and liberty." 

" Some of our friends have been slain," I replied. " Do you 
know of any that have been made prisoners V' 

II I know not the name, but I was led to infer, from a conver- 
sation that I heard this morning, that one of the leaders, at 
least, was in the hands of the enemy." 

" Will you relate that conversation ?" I inquired. 

" I was lying on a sort of rude settee, in the bar-room of the 
inn where I was stopping, when two fellows came in, and appa- 
rently without noticing me, called for liquor, and drank off a 
bumper to the success of the Regulators. 

" \ The Mormons are rather too much for them, are they 
not ?' asked the bar -keeper. 

"'They don't seem to have done much yet,' answered the 
man addressed. ' However, they drove the poor devils into the 
woods, where they intend to keep them for a while. And last 
night one of the birds fell into their hands.' 

" ' Did V 

" ' Yes ; it seems that he had been to the settlement to pro- 
cure food, and such like, and came right on the guard of Regula- 
tors, as he was making for the woods. The boys gave chase, 



Character of Mrs. Bradish. 



129 



and, though the horse all but flew, they finally succeeded in 
capturing him, and now he is safely lodged in jail.' v 

11 That can be no other than Mrs. Bradish," I said. 

M Not a lady," said the man. 

" She was dressed in male attire, and probably was not recog- 
nized," I suggested. 

This gentleman's name wa^s Hale, and he seemed very zealous 
in the faith of Mormon ; expressed unbounded confidence in 
Smith ; related instances of his miraculous powers ; and dwelt 
largely on their hopes of living and reigning with Christ a thou- 
sand years. He then proposed to go back to the village, obtain 
an interview with the prisoner, and ascertain in what manner he 
could be of service to her, if my suspicions proved correct. 

I answered that thereby he would be doing great service to 
the church, and lay the friends of the lady under lasting obliga- 
tions. After partaking of refreshments, he departed, promis- 
ing to return the next morning. 

" Mrs. Bradish certainly meets with all sorts of adventures," I 
said. " She has no fear, and is for ever running into danger." 

" So it seems. I don't know what to make of her sometimes. 
She seems like a good clever woman, and yet she will connive 
at crime." 

"You must be aware that her views of crime are radically 
different from those entertained by people less fanatical in their 
belief. She has brought herself to consider actions as good or 
bad, only with reference to the church. I pity her delusion." 

" And she is much more to be feared than pitied. She would 
sacrifice her best friend, I fear, if by doing so she could advance 
the interests of Mormonism. Indeed, I have sometimes thought 
her to be the victim of a species of insanity. Have you not 
observed how her eyes will gleam, and her features writhe when 
she is agitated or excited ?" 

" I have observed it," I answered. 

6* 



130 



Female Liee among the Mormons. 



After much more conversation of a similar character, Mrs. 
Murray took leave. 



X returned. 

"Your suspicions were correct," he said, seating himself. 
"The prisoner is the lady of whom you spoke. I obtained an 
interview with her, though not without difficulty, and heard her 
story, which was very romantic." 

" She was captured by the Regulators, I suppose ?" 

" Yes ; in attempting to divert their attention from Brother 
Ward, who was bearing provisions to the wounded and fugitive 
in the forest. They gave chase ; she fled, but, unfortunately, 
her horse stumbled and fell. They were on her in a moment. 
She was taken, and pinioned, and when her name and sex were 
discovered, they called her a murderess, and chained her, with- 
out privilege of bail, in the felon's dungeon. But she bears her 
adverse fate with great dignity and composure. However, I 
think that something must be done for her rescue. It is dreadful 
to be tried for life, when judge, jury, and public are preju- 
diced against you." 

" There would be but small chance of her acquittal." 

"'There would be no chance, whatever. The fact of the kill- 
ing, she does not deny, but insists that the action, under the 
circumstances, was commendable. She wishes me to inform her 
friends. I promised to do so. Can you direct me to them V* 

" I cannot to any certainty, but Mr. Ward will, I think, be in 



CHAPTER XIY. 



HE TURN OF THE MESSENGER. 




The next morning Mr. Hale 



Mrs. Bradish in a Dungeon. 



131 



to-night. He rather reproved Mrs. Bradish, for her haste in 
shooting that fellow." 

" He thought ill would grow out of it." 

" And I was confident that such would be the case. For I 
heard one of those that bore away the body swear a dreadful 
oath, that after the men were done for, he would be revenged on 
her." 

" They were exulting in my hearing," returned Mr. Hale, " on 
the prospect of hanging her. Indeed, the officers could only 
preserve her with difficulty from the grasp of the exasperated 
populace." 

" When will her trial take place ?" 

" In about three weeks." 

" I should think that something might be done in that time." 

" We must try," he answered. " But do you perceive any 
relaxation of vigilance on the part of the Regulators ?" 

" I can scarcely tell, and yet, it strikes me that they have been 
visible much less frequently for the past twenty-four hours." 

" These Regulators," continued Mr. Hale, " are very excitable 
characters, and as such, soon get wearied in their useless cam- 
paigns, and return to their homes. You will soon be rid of them 
altogether, probably." 

" I hope so, indeed." 

" As I anticipated, Mr. Ward came at evening. He said that 
the coast was clear, that the Regulators had dispersed, but 
whether for good, or only as a feint, he could not tell." 

" It may be the latter, though I rather guess the former," 
said Mr. Hale. " These fellows are too impulsive to be perse- 
vering. They act merely from momentary excitement, and now 
that they have got that woman in their hands, can afford a 
respite certainly." 

" But we must make an attempt to rescue her," said Mr. Ward. 

" I think we ought to ; how shall it be brought about ?" 



132 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" What strikes me as the most feasible plan, is this. We will 
disguise ourselves as Indians, and while a part of the company 
attacks the village, and sets fire to the fences and out-houses, 
in order to divert the attention of the inhabitants, the remainder 
can force the jail and rescue the prisoners." 

" That scheme is full of danger," I said. " Couldn't assist- 
ance be afforded her, so that she could escape without jeopardiz- 
ing the lives of her friends V 

"Not likely/' said Mr. Ward. " The gate is too strictly 
guarded ; Mrs. Bradish has done much for us, we will now 
exert ourselves to do something for her. I cannot doubt that 
every true believer will be willing to assist according to his 
ability. It would be a lasting stigma on our name to suffer that 
sister to die on the gallows." 

That night Mr. Ward stayed with me without molestation, 
and the next day the Mormons returned to their homes. Mrs. 
Cook, however, positively refused to receive her pseudo husband, 
and he was obliged to return to his first wife. 

" Oh ! how happy I am,' 7 she said, running into our house one 
morning, " my husband has returned to me. He even wept and 
asked my forgiveness. Oh ! I would have forgiven him much 
more. It was all my fault, I suppose, because I was not suffi- 
ciently attractive. But I must hasten back to nurse and comfort 
him. You must, you will sympathize with me," and before I 
could assure her in the affirmative, she hurried away. 

" I hope at any rate, that her husband will appreciate such 
love and self-denial," I said to Mr. Ward. 

" It is not probable that he ever ceased to love her," said that 
gentleman, "but it was revealed to him that he must take 
another wife, and" 

"The revelation was certainly at fault," I answered, "in not 
directing him to a better and more amiable woman, than this 
Mrs Cook seems to be." 



An Attack Contemplated. 



183 



Mr. Ward smiled in a peculiar manner, and turned the conver- 
sation to Mrs. Bradish. 

" It is necessary, my dear," said he, u that the brethren should 
be extremely cautious. Our past encounter with the Regulators 
cost some valuable lives. However, they shall live again, and 
reign with Christ a thousand years, for they were martyrs to the 
truth. Yet we may not run unnecessarily into danger, and so I 
repeat, it is necessary to be cautious. You know there is a tribe 
of Indians about thirty miles from here." 

" I have heard of them." 
They have had some difficulty with the whites." 

" Indeed." 

" Yes ; and I hear that they threaten to attack the village, in 
the jail of which our sister is confined." 
" Dreadful !" 

"On the contrary, it will be exceedingly fortunate for us, 
should such be the case. The rumor itself is invaluable, as it 
will withdraw suspicion from us." 

" It will, but oh ! Mr. Ward do you not fear to be accessory 
to such dreadful crimes ?" 

" Crimes ?" he repeated mechanically. 

" Yes ; crimes." 

" There is no crime about it," he answered. " We are at war 
with the heathen, and all stratagem is allowable in such casos. 
Besides, we are to consider the interests of our church and its 
members, as paramount to all other considerations. Christ did 
not pray for the world, but only for his disciples." 

A meeting of the Mormons was called that night. A special 
meeting, at which only four or five of the leaders were suffered 
to be present. The discussions and resolutions were all con- 
ducted with the utmost privacy, and the result could only be 
known by transpiring events. Mr. Hale, however, was speedily 
dispatched to the village of Hawthorn, to bear a message to 



134 Female Life among the Mormons. 



the captive sister, and subsequently returned with a letter from 
that lady to my husband. I saw this missive ; its contents 
thrilled my heart. It ran thus : — 

" Mr. Hale tells me that you have a plan on foot to effect my liberation. "Well, so be 
it. Heaven knows I have no wish to be put on trial for my life without a friend to speak 
for me. But one thing you must prevent if possible. Do not let our Prophet join the 
expedition. Indeed, he must not. If he does his death is certain. Yes, Mr. Ward, the 
husband of Mrs. Clarke is here, and his threats of vengeance are truly awful. The 
jailor's wife comes and sits with me sometimes. She was in here yesterday, and told me 
all about it. Of course I did not let her know that I had ever seen or heard of such a 
woman but as I know that Mrs. Ward will be anxious to hear from her, I will tell you 
as the jailor's wife told me. 

" Mrs. Ward will remember Brother Clayton's story, and how he said that the people 
of the village where Mrs. Clarke stopped had written to her husband. That was the 
truth, and Mr. Clarke came on immediately to look after his poor distressed wife. He 
found her in a miserable condition ; and-, of course, attributes all her misfortunes to the 
Mormons in general, and Smith in particular, instead of her own folly and weakness 
He openly avows his intention of waylaying and shooting Smith, and he will do so unless 
circumstances prevent. I fear that there is trouble ahead. The loss of our leader would 
be dreadful just now." 

" He that sows the wind must reap the whirlwind," I 
remarked. " I should not wonder if some terrible retributive 
justice were to overtake that man." 

" The warning has come too late," said Mr. Ward thought- 
fully. 

Something more than a week elapsed, when Mr. Ward 
informed me that he should be absent that day and night, and 
how much longer he could not tell, but exhorted me to be 
patient and courageous, and, above all, to trust in Heaven. 
Though he forbore to give- me any further information respect- 
ing the cause of his absence, I knew very well that it referred to 
the liberation of Mrs. Bradish. 



Disastrous Intelligence. 



135 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE LIBERATION, AND SOMETHING ELSE. 

MR. WARD departed, and for two days I awaited his return. 
At last he came, but his countenance bore the impress of 
something terrible. 

" Are you wounded, dear ?" I inquired. 
" JS"o ! Yes !" he answered. 

" ?s T o ! Yes !" I replied. " Rather indefinite. But pray tell 
me, Mr, Ward, is Mrs. Braclish killed V 9 

" I don't know," he answered, " Though I believe not ; yet 
our Prophet is." 

"What ! Smith?" 

" Yes, Smith, as you call him ; I saw him die 
" Shot by Mr. Clarke ?" 

"Even so," and Mr. Ward buried his face in his hands, and 
groaned aloud. 

After remaining a few minutes in silence, Mr. Ward began : 

" I will tell you all about it, Maria, because sooner or later 
you must know, and what is of more and greater importance, 
we must make preparations to remove immediately. ; Tis a case 
of necessity, for the country is rising against us." 

" How dreadful to have provoked that rising," I said ; " but 
how is it ? what is it ? — let me hear the whole story, and then I 
can judge for myself." 

" Our plan to rescue Mrs. Bradish was this," said Mr. Ward. 
"Our Prophet, who had many followers among the Indians 



136 Female Life among the Mormons. 

already mentioned, went down to solicit their assistance, and, if 
possible, enlist a goodly number of them in our cause. Mean- 
while, I was to see that the brethren were armed and equipped, 
and the two divisions of our party were to meet and rendezvous 
at the Fords ; beyond that circumstances were to direct. By 
some means, however, a rumor transpired that the Indians were 
about to attack the village. This was fortunate as diverting 
attention from us, though, at the same time, the villagers were 
thereby warned of our approach. You know the night chosen 
for our expedition, and how black and stormy were the clouds. 
This was favorable, and we marched up cautiously and silently 
to the outskirts of the town. Not a soul seemed aware of our 
presence, and we began to congratulate ourselves on the pros- 
pect of an easy victory. Here we divided the men. One divi- 
sion moving on in the direction of the jail, while the others 
remained as an outpost. All having orders to discharge a gun 
at the first alarm, on which the latter were directed to fire the 
outbuildings and fences near them. I remained with this party, 
but Smith accompanied the other. In vain I protested against 
this arrangement, but he only laughed at me, and went on. 

"We remained perfectly still several minutes, when a sharp, 
quick fire of musketry gave intimation that we were discovered. 
■■ Fire the buildings 1 — quick ! — quick 1' I cried. 

" In a moment it was done. 

" 1 They will soon be here/ I said : 1 let us now slip round 
towards the jail.' 

" We moved onwards, but suddenly rising up before us, made 
visible by the burning sheds and grain-stacks, appeared a band 
of armed men. I heard the discharge of their deadly weapons, 
and felt a stunning blow on the head." 

" How dreadful such things are," I observed. 

" When I recovered, I found myself a prisoner. I was 
bound, and two men, whom I knew to be enemies, were watching 



Death of the Prophet. 



over me. I remained perfectly silent, in order to gather what 
information I could from their conversation. 

" ' We were not looking for the devils so early in the evening, 
or they'd have got peppered other guess than they were. I 
don't know that we should have heard them at all, they came 
so plaguy still, if it hadn't been for my dog. Watch is allers 
up to sich things, and he heard them break the jail-door I 
expect, for he set up a dreadful barking, and just that minute 
Jim Smith comes in, and said that the Indians were on us. 
7 Twas raal dark and stormy, and we couldn't well see what was 
going on, but I knew by the noise that they were at the jail. 
Then the thought struck me that 'twas the Mormons, and I ran 
out, shouting with all my might, "The Mormons ! The Mor- 
mons !" In less than no time a company was gathered, Clarke 
at their head. 

" ' The devils ! Where be they V he yelled. 

" 1 At the jail,' I answered. 

" ' A light — a light ! let's see what they are doing,' said some 
one. 

'"A light was brought.' 

" 1 Does anybody know Joe Smith V cried Clarke. 

" 1 That's him yonder, on horseback,' said I ; ' and, sure as the 
deil, he's got that prisoner woman on behind him.' 

" ' They broke the jail open to get her out. She's the High 
Priestess,' said a man at my elbow. 

" ' This is for my wife, my poor, forsaken Laura,' said Clarke, 
as he raised the gleaming tube of death to his eye. It exploded. 
I heard a wild and piercing screech, and saw Smith fall from the 
horse. Then wasn't there a hurrah ; and we rushed up to seize 
the woman, but, heavens ! she fought like a panther — drove the 
horse right over us, before we could seize the bits, and got 
away.' 

"'You don't say that V 



138 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" ' Yes ; I do, though. Old Sam helped her, I believe ; but 
we took several others — some of the heads, too ; and they won't 
get off without promising to leave the country. 

" ' Well, was Smith actually dead V 

" 1 Dead as a door nail.' 

" 1 Did you see the body ?' 

" ■ To be sure, I did ; and it didn't look a bit different from 
any other body. Pshaw ! he wasn't no prophet, no more than 
I am.' 

" But I need not repeat their conversation," continued Mr. 
Ward, " nor my own harrowing anxiety. At length, I addressed 
my keepers, inquiring : 1 How many, and who were prisoners 
besides myself?' 

" ' Oh, you've rousted have you, old boy V said one. ' Well, 
'twas time ; I begun to think that you were sleeping your 
last.' 

" ' That's not answering my question,' I said. 1 Who are 
prisoners besides myself?' 
• " ' I imagine that you'll find out without much difficulty,' he 
said. ' We'll have you altogether in the morning, and make you 
promise and swear to clear out — the whole scrape of you — or, 
by G — d ! we'll hang you on the first tree.' 

"That was a long night, Maria. Oh, how long ! I could 
not sleep ; but I lay still and revolved in my mind the chances 
of escape. Yet, something whispered to me that I had better 
stay, and know the worst, even if such a chance presented. My 
presence would probably be consolatory to my captive brethren, 
who, now that their leader was slain, would feel like sheep with- 
out a shepherd. In the morning, we were all taken to the 
room usually occupied as the court-house, and there received our 
doom." 

" And how many of you were prisoners ?" I inquired. 

" About twenty ; and twelve of these were elders," he con- 



The Oath and its Penalty. 



139 



tinned. " Our captors then bade us hold up our hands and 
repeat after them a horrible oath — binding our souls to the 
devil and everlasting torment, if we were not out of frhe country 
in the space of a month. I would have demurred at this, espe- 
cially the shortness of the time, but saw that it would be of no 
use. We were there among them, poor, bruised, persecuted and 
wounded : they would have no mercy." 
" And you took the oath ?" 

" We did ; there was a dreadful penalty attached : our chil- 
dren to be slain, our wives polluted, our houses burned, and 
ourselves hung." 

" And you could hear nothing of Mrs. Braclish V 
" Nothing — only that she escaped. She will probably return 
to us." 

And now, my dear Maria," said Mr. Ward, " don't give way 
to grief or melancholy. Our journey will, indeed, be long and 
tedious j but the scenes will not be devoid of interest and excite- 
ment ; and the country to which we go is utterly uninhabited, 
except by a few straggling Indians." 

" And where is this country?" I inquired. 

"Far on to the West, near the Great Rocky Chain, on the 
shores of the Salt Lake." 

" But, Mr. Ward, do you suppose that we can ever live to 
reach there ?" 

" Live to reach there ! certainly. As the Israelites crossed 
the Red Sea, we must cross the rivers — as they passed through 
the wilderness, we must journey through a desert ; and, as they 
possessed the good land flowing with milk and honey, so we will 
go in to possess that." 

" I understand it," I replied ; " but who is to be the 
leader f > 

" We must choose one from among the elders," he answered. 
" There is to be a meeting this afternoon to decide the question. 



140 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



It will be a situation of profit and honor for somebody ; and I 
hope that heaven will direct onr choice." 

" Amen," said a deep voice behind us. I looked around. 
Two or three Mormons had come in, doubtless, to discuss that 
interesting subject. Leaving them with my husband, I sought 
the residence of Mrs. Murray. 



CHAPTER XYI 

THE NEW LEADER. 

IT would be impossible to describe the grief, the horror, and 
consternation of the Mormons, when the death of the leader 
became fully known. Many of them were ready to take up the 
lamentation of the bereaved Mussulman : " He cannot be dead 
— our Prophet, our leader, and intercessor with G-od !" Others 
concluded that he might be dead, but would rise again ; and 
others, again, wept and moaned and lamented as if their hearts 
were broken. The elders and prophets, however, were too 
deeply interested about who should be his successor, to concern 
themselves much with the past catastrophe. According to 
accounts, the meeting was anything but an exhibition of a meek 
and lowly spirit. There was quarrelling, fighting, and even a 
throwing of missiles, with boisterous and outrageous language. 
At length, however, all resigned their claims but two, both of 
wiiom professed to have had a special revelation favorable to 
his own claim, and, consequently, adverse to the other. A 
usual, in such cases, a party adhered to either, and neither would 
resign his pretensions. 

Towards night, the meeting adjourned, when Mr. War 
invited the aspirant, to whose party he belonged, to our hous 



Description of the New Leader. 



141 



and, for the first time, I was introduced to the since famous 

B Y g. He was a good-sized, compact man, and 

would have been good-looking had he looked pleasant. As it was, 
his countenance wore a sort of sinister expression, anything but 
agreeable. He seemed never weary of extolling himself, pro- 
fessed miraculous powers, and said that God had audibly spoken 
to him, as he did to Moses, and commanded him to lead forth 
the chosen people ; that in yielding his pretensions to that 
honor, he should be disobeying the Word of the Lord. His 
rival's name was White. He was much the ablest and best 
man. Subsequently, he moved to Texas with his followers, 
where they are living happily. 

" This White," said Y g, speaking of his rival, " is a 

prophet of the devil instead of the Lord. An angel opened my 
eyes to behold him as he actually was. He had an unclean 
spirit, like a frog, in his mouth, that gave him power to speak 
lying wonders. But I am not afraid of him. I heard a voice 

from Heaven, saying, B m, you shall be Prophet and 

leader, and no man shall hinder you." 

There was something infinitely ridiculous in this rhodomon- 
tade and the manner in which it was spoken. Was the man a 
fool, or did he look on us as such ? Probably, the latter, for 
his cunning, scheming features bore the mark of more than 
ordinary intelligence, and his eyes, which changed color with 
every variable emotion, seemed to conceal a world of craft, and 
cunning, and forethought in their unfathomable depths. 

And did such a man believe in Mormonism ? He believed in 
it as a fable, that he designed to make profitable to himself. 
He saw in it an opportunity to rise to a situation of affluence 
and social importance. More than once such a temptation has 
proved too strong for a well-balanced mind. To him it was 
irresistible. His early education and habits had in them 
nothing remarkable, except, perhaps, a tendency to fanaticism, 



142 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



and total oblivion of moral purpose. Even when a child, he 
was untroubled with a conscience, and a great adept at lying. 
Subsequently, in his career of shopman, he exhibited the same 
talents for duplicity and meanness. The weights were all false, 
the measures scant. He adulterated the spices, mixed water 
with the rum, and sand with the sugar. Then, in the capacity 
of a pedlar he roamed around the country, vending useless 
articles of jewelry, damaged hose, lottery tickets, and similar 
articles ; the whole and sole end of his endeavors being, as he 
expressed it, to " take care of number one," and deceive those 
with whom he trafficked as much as possible. At last, he 
became a devotee of the Methodist persuasion ; exhorted the 
sinners, led in the class meetings, and shouted, sung, and hal- 
looed times without number, until the sound actually made 
night hideous, But, as self had always been uppermost, it was 
so still. He was not allured by the beauty of virtue, or the 
love of truth. The fear of punishment in the next world was 
now the governing motive of his conduct. He was working out 
his own salvation, not by restraining his evil desires, but by the 
easier observance of prayers and meetings. 

And many evenings, side by side with him in the class, 
stood a beautiful young girl, the daughter of a widow in the 
neighborhood, and apparently so artless, so innocent, so unsus- 
pecting of guile, that no one, who retained a spark of humanity, 
could have found it in his heart to harm . her. The serpent, 
however, found his way into Eden, and the pure are never safe 
from the machinations of the vile. Under pretence of visiting 
and caring for the loneliness of the widow, he readily found a 
way to excite the gratitude and sympathies of the daughter. 
And the old lady, in her ignorance of the world, never imagined 
that one who could pray so fervently, and sing so beautifully, 
and read the Scriptures with such a devotional spirit, could be 
otherwise than good. So she encouraged his intimacy with her 



Heartless Conduct of the Prophet. 143 

daughter, and when he proposed marriage, gladly accepted the 
offer. " But Harriet must have a beautiful silk dress and a 
bridal veil," he said, " and, with the mother's consent, he would 
take her to the city, to select her outfit." The unsuspecting- 
woman consented, but never beheld her daughter again, never 
saw nor heard from the perjured lover. What mother's heart 
could bear such a blow ? hers could not. . From a robust, hale, 
hearty woman, she gradually drooped, grew pale and thin, then 
a slight hacking cough disturbed her rest, and before the 
flowers of Autumn faded, or the songbirds had departed to a 
warmer clime, she died. 

And the man who can thus betray a woman's confidence is 
capable of any treachery, and almost any crime. 

At the time, I knew not our Mormon leader as such a man, 
but circumstances revealed him to me, as the destroyer of that 
beautiful girl, the murderer of her mother, and the father of an 
abandoned child. Nor was this the only hateful episode in his 
eventful life. Many a heart had he abused and trampled, win- 
ning its sweet wealth of affection, and then casting it from him, 
like a worthless weed. And did he feel no remorse ? he was 
too utterly depraved for that. The Good Spirit had departed 
for ever from him, saying, "he is joined to his idols, let him 
alone." 

From Methodism to Mormonism the transition was easy ; not 
because there is any similarity in the doctrines, but because it is 
just as easy to act the hypocrite in one line as in another, when 
the only consideration admitted is, to inquire which will be most 
profitable. 

The next day a majority of the Mormon church decided to 

receive B m as their chief, Prophet, and spiritual governor, 

and invested him with such insignia of authority as he saw fit 
to prescribe. He was very haughty in his demeanor ; fond of 
magnificent apparel ; and more than once I half suspected that 



144 



Female Lifk among the Mormons. 



certain ideas of kingly dignity had taken possession of his 
brain. At any rate, he acted the part of sovereign Pontiff 
admirably, and presided over the Mormon worship with a state 
unknown before. 

Coming into our house one day, he said, that it had been 
revealed to him that the body of the fallen Prophet must be 
rescued from the heathen, and be carried with them as a sort of 
palladium, to ensure their safety in their journey, as well as 
prosperity in the Promised Land. The Mormons, in their 
fright and consternation, had neglected the mortal remains of 
their leader, and, as it appeared, a hole had been dug in the 
ground by his enemies, and the body thrown in, without care or 
consideration. Several days had now elapsed, and it could 
scarcely be considered expedient to remove it, and so after much 
discussion it was finally decided that a coffin, with suitable 
inscriptions and adornments, should be procured, and being 
filled with the clothes and personal property of the fallen saint, 
should be considered as possessing the same efficacy as would 
pertain to his flesh and his bones. " Did the people believe in 
this humbug ?" you inquire. " Do they not all the world over 
believe in humbugs equally as great ? in relics and enchant- 
ments." Some of them do. 

««► 

CHAPTER XYII. 

GOING OFF. 

A MONTH had nearly elapsed — a month of perplexity and 
anxiety in getting ready to move. As yet, we had heard 

nothing; from Mrs. Bradish. B- m said that it had been 

revealed to him that she was still living, but thought it best to 



Preparations for Departing. 



145 



remain in obscurity. We made many inquiries of friends, who 
were continually coming to join us from a distance, but could 
obtain no information. Mrs. Murray protested against going 
any further from her childhood's home, begging and imploring 
her husband to permit her to return to her parents, taking her 
children. 

This he sternly refused, telling her that all of them should 
accompany him, as he might need their services. 

" But you can get another wife — have even now another," she 
answered. " You can do as you please, when I am gone, and I 
shall no more offend you with tears and protestations." 

" You must go where I do," he said, "but you had better be 
careful how you qpmport yourself." 

Mr. Murray was a man of exceedingly variable temper. At 
one time, he would be very affectionate and amiable ; at 
another, cold, morose, and sour. Indeed, whatever happened to 
displease him, the effects of his ill-nature were vented on his wife. 
Was the weather too hot or too cold ; was there too much or 
too little rain ; if any disappointment occurred, his wife was 
sure to suffer for it. On the contrary, when everything pleased 
him, no man could be more gentle and conciliating. Mrs. 
Murray informed me that he grew more preposterous every 
day, and she attributed it to his irritation and disappoint- 
ment in not being chosen to fill the place of Smith. Mrs. 
Murray, however, loved him exceedingly ; and when he was 
kind and gentle, she was one of the happiest of women. On the 
contrary, his fits of caprice and passion would throw her into 
the deepest dejection. 

Our new leader stalked around in his consecrated robes, with 
all the dignity and state imaginable, but contrary' to our expec- 
tations, he left Irene in possession of the house occupied by 
the former Prophet. She likewise claimed the privilege of tak- 
ing care of the holy relics of the deceased ; and as no one 

1 



146 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



interfered to prevent it, they remained in her possession — a 
circumstance which led her to arrogate a great importance to 
herself. 

Two days previous to the expiration of the month in which we 
were to make our preparations for removal, our company was 
ready for departure. We were to rendezvous on the banks of a 
small creek, in order to await the approach of others, who were 
advancing from different sections of the State. We left our 
houses standing empty, our hearth-stones deserted, our fields 
uusown, for a long, and it might be a disastrous, journey through 
the wilderness. The believers left their temple, but carried 
along, if not the bones, at least the relics, of their Prophet. 
Our order of march was easily determined, and we moved off 
like a small caravan, some riding on horseback, some in wagons, 
some walking, and one elder preaching loudly against the hea- 
then, and ever and anon stopping to shake off the dust from his 
feet, as a testimony against them. How often it happens that 
something ludicrous will occur in the most trying situations, and 
while my eyes were filled with tears of sorrow and regret, I 
burst into a hearty fit of laughter. 

After a journey of probably twenty miles, we arrived at the 
place where our first encampment was to be made. It was a 
beautiful and retired place, in a grove of cottonwood. We 
found several wagons already there ; and during the day and 
night many others came in. They were received with gracious 

condescension by B m, who preached, and prayed, and 

exhorted ; saluted the sisters with a holy kiss, praised the 
babies, and flattered the men. I saw at once that he was likely 
to be extremely popular, and subsequent events substantiated 
my opinions. He soon found himself the centre of attraction on 
all sides. The best of everything was reserved for him. One 
sister neglected a pair of squalling children to embroider him a 
pair of slippers. Another took a dress-pattern, designed for 



Return of Mrs. Bradish. 



141 



herself, and made him a gown. He was continually receiving 
little presents of fish, flesh, or fowl, fruit, cake, or candy, which 
the new arrivals were bringing in. Bat the good sisters knew 
nothing of this man's true character, and very little of Mormon- 
ism, as it was subsequently developed. 

The morning of the day on which our encampment was to be 
broken up, we espied a horseman approaching at a rapid rate, 
and waving a handkerchief, as if to detain us. 

I wonder what is wanted now V said Mr. Ward. 

" We shall probably know soon," I replied. "He is approach- 
ing rapidly." That instant, something familiar in the carriage 
and appearance of the person struck me. I looked again ; it 
was Mrs. Bradish, dressed in male attire. 

"Welcome, welcome, good friend and brave woman !" said 
Mr. Ward, advancing and offering her his hand. " We began 
to fear that you were lost or dead. Where have you been, true 
sister of the church P 

"Been?" she answered, "I have been to a good many places, 
and done some business, too. There are three or four wagons 
behind you ; you mast wait for them." 

" Coming to join us ?" 
Yes ; they are my converts. I rode on ahead, as I 
thought that otherwise they would not be able to overtake you 
in time." 

We stopped ; and while the wagons were coming up, Mrs. 
Bradish related her adventures to the whole company, who were 
nearly dying with curiosity to hear. Even B m came for- 
ward with his stately step, and requested an introduction to the 
distinguished sister, and then seating himself by her side, to the 
infinite envy and mortification of all the unmarried sisters, 
requested her to proceed. 

" On that dreadful night," she said, "when these eyes beheld 
the fall of our holy Prophet, when he tumbled from his horse, 



148 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



shot, massacred by the heathen, and when I saw the sons of 
Belial crowding around me, with imprecations and menaces, 
some attempting to seize the reins of the animal, others trying 
to drag me from my seat, impelled by the strong instinct of self- 
preservation, I thought only of escape. Not that I cared so 
much for myself, not that the martyr's crown is ever to be 
avoided, from purely craven or selfish motives, but my thoughts 
referred to the church, thus suddenly deprived of her leader, 
and I determined to live, if possible, and contribute my small 
influence to her support in this fiery trial." 
" Noble woman [" said B m. 

" My steed was powerful, and I urged him, plunging and 
rearing right against and over my enemies, and away we went 
with the swiftness of the wind. In the haste and tumult of the 
moment, it never occurred to me that I might be taking the 
wrong direction — that I might be rushing into the presence of 
my foes rather than escaping them. But on we went, over hill 
and dale, through forests and across the streams. Suddenly a 
light appeared in the distance. I directed my steed towards it, 
and soon alighted before the door of a small farm-ljouse : knock- 
ing at the door, I heard a light step, and then a female, 
apparently middle-aged, opened it. 

" ' My dear madam,' I said, addressing her, ' I have lost my 
way. Will you be so good as to tell me where I am.' 

" ' Lost V said the woman, with an expression of alarm and 
consternation. ' Then you had better come in here, and stay 
till morning. My child is sick, and I have been watching with 
him, which accounts for my being up so late. However, you 
can be hospitably entertained with us. I shall be happy to assist 
you in every way of which I am capable.' 

" I thanked the good woman kindly, accepted her hospi- 
tality, and informed her that my horse was standing at the 
gate. 



Mrs. Bradish relates her Adventures. 



149 



" ' Well, we can tend to him, I guess/ answered the woman. 
' There is no man in the house, my husband being absent on 
some little business.' 

" And so my faithful steed was housed and fed, and myself com- 
fortably entertained. 

" When the lady invited me to retire, I frankly informed her 
that I should much prefer watching with her, as I had not the 
smallest inclination to sleep. 

" - Oh, well, act your pleasure/ she said, with a smile, and 
then inquired whom she had the pleasure of entertaining. 
I frankly told her my name. 

" She gave a slight start, and curiously regarded me. 

" ' Are you acquainted with the Mormons V she inquired, 
thoughtfully, after a moment's silence. 

"'I am/ 

" ' Excase me, madam, I fear that my curiosity is getting 
ahead of my politeness, but are you the woman who shot the 
Regulator a short time since V 

" ' I am that woman.' 

" ' Then I must inform you that you cannot possibly be safe 
with me, after to morrow morning. That man was my hus- 
band's brother. My husband is out now with the other Regu- 
lators. At sunrise he will return, and, should he find you here, 
I could not answer for the consequences.' 

" I auswered satisfactorily ; and now, as we knew and under- 
stood each other, we conversed very pleasantly on general sub- 
jects, and, as is frequently the case, ended precisely where we 
commenced, on Mormonism. 

" ' I used to hear people speak of the Mormons in New York 
State,' she said, 'as I am an emigrant from that country. 
Indeed, two or three families of our neighbors became converts, 
but I never saw much of them, though I believe that they are 
living near us now/ 



150 Female Life among the Mormons. 



" ' Their names/ I inquired. 
" 1 Stillnian/ she answered. 
'"I have never heard of them/ 

" ' Probably not. I do not imagine that they ever publicly 
professed the faith of Mormon, though they were somewhat 
attached to it. 7 

" ' I must go and see them/ 

" 'They live about five miles on the plain direct road.' " 

" And you have been there all this time ?" said Mr. Ward. 

" Don't you interrupt me," exclaimed Mrs. Bradish. " In 
the morning, guided by the directions of my kind hostess, I soon 
found the residence of Mr. Stillman. The house was very ordi- 
nary in its appearance from the road, though bearing the evi- 
dent marks of thrift and comfort. Everything looked sleek and 
happy — the cows, the pigs, and the poultry. Several children 
were playing around, but they soon paused to gaze and wonder, 
when they saw the strange woman approaching, and then 
rushed into the house. Presently a tall, amiable looking mat- 
ron, came to the door, in whom, to my infinite surprise and 
astonishment, I instantly recognized Louisa Beardsley, an old 
schoolmate. The recognition was mutual, and she approached 
me, smiling through her tears, with extended hands. 

" ' Oh, Louisa/ I exclaimed, 'has heaven, indeed, reserved 
this great happiness for me V 

" ' I am certainly delighted to see you/ returned Louisa, 
* walk into the house.' 

" And we went in together. 

" ' My family, you see/ said Louisa, ' consists of my husband 
and myself, these three boys/ pointing to some great, robust, 
hearty urchins, ' and that girl yonder/ here she made a gesture 
towards a beautiful girl who sat by the window sewing, and 
who looked up, bowed, and blushed at this allusion to herself. 

" 1 But is that girl your niece or daughter V 



Mrs. B radish's Adventures. 



151 



u 1 Neither ; her story is very romantic ; some day you shall 
be made acquainted with all the particulars.' 

" The girl colored and trembled at this remark, and Louisa, 
who perceived it, changed the conversation. 

" ■ You see that house yonder, just over the hills V said 
Louisa. 

" I answered in the affirmative. 

" ' That is where the family of my husband's father live. 
They were half inclined to be Mormons once.' 
" ' Indeed V 

" 1 Yes ; the old gentleman still insists that there was some- 
thing miraculous about it, and I am inclined to believe that 
nothing but their difficulties with the Regulators prevented him 
from searching them out and professing their faith.' 

" ' That should rather have been an inducement.' 

" 1 jSTot with an old man like him, who is horrified at the least 
disturbance. And yonder,' she continued, pointing off in anoth- 
er direction, 'is where my mother lives. You were not 
acquainted with her V 

" ' I believe not.' 

" 'Well, you must get acquainted ; yet mother is deeply pre- 
judiced against the Mormons.' 
" ' Have they injured her ?' 

" ' Never, to my knowledge,' said Louisa, laughing. 

" I found Mr. Stilmian to be a man very gentle, moderate, 
and easily persuaded, who was directed in all things by his wife. 
Not that Louisa aspired to command or rule her husband, but 
he found it easier to abide the decision of her judgment than to 
exercise his own. Old Mr. Stillman possessed the same charac- 
ter, and was positively uxorious in his love for his wife. I found 
that she had heard and read much of Mormonism, and, being in 
her youth very excitable, she still retained a spice of romance in 
her disposition, and was particularly delighted with some of 



152 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



the new doctrines and practices. The news that you were to. 
be expelled the country soon reached us. 

" ■ Well, Aunt Mary/ I said, - why can't you and Louisa here 
just pull up stakes, and go too V 

" ' Bless me ! what — travel off through that great desert 
among the Indians and buffaloes V 

11 1 Certainly ; the buffaloes make very good beef ; and as for 
the Indians, I think it would be better than any circus to wit- 
ness their manoeuvres on the backs of the wild horses.' 

" ' And I think so, too,' said Louisa. 

U 1 If it wasn't for the plague and trouble of moving,' said old 
Mrs. Stillman, ' I should be inclined to go.' 

" ' Yes ; if it wasn't for the plague and trouble of moving,' 
said the old man, who had a habit of repeating everything his 
wife said, as if he were her echo. 

" • That wouldn't be much,' said Louisa ; ' but I hear that tho 
Mormons indulge themselves in a plurality of wives.' 

" ' So did Abraham and Jacob, and David, the man after 
God's own heart.' 

" Louisa said nothing. 

" ' If it was right for these ancient and holy men, who are 
held up as patterns and exemplars to succeeding generations, it 
cannot be wrong at the present day. You cannot find a passage 
in the Scripture where it is forbidden.' 

" f That may be,' said Louisa ; ' and yet, I should go mad to 
have my husband take another wife ; I know I should. It must 
be outrageous to the feelings of any woman.' 

'M I fancy you would care nothing about it. Why, Louisa, 
only think how it lightens the burdens of a family, for two or 
three to share them.' 

" 1 1 don't care ; I should be tempted to kill 'em both.' 

" ' Your husband would scarcely wish to take another wife. 

" ' I don't suppose that he would,' said Louisa 



Mode of making Converts. 



153 



" ' I shouldn't be a bit afraid of it,' said old Mrs. Stillman. 
M 1 1 shouldn't be a bit afraid of it,' chimed in the old man, as 
usual. 

" • Well, if I actually knew that he wouldn't, I should be 
tempted to go with them.' 

" ' Nonsense, Louisa. It is only under peculiar circumstances 
that Mormon husbands take more than one wife. There are 
many who never think of such a thing. Your influence over 
Mr. Stillman is too unbounded for him to ever give way to that 
temptation, unless, indeed, it was your request.' 

" 1 1 don't think it would be a temptation,' said the old lady. 

" ■ I don't think it would be a temptation,' reiterated the old 
man. 

" ' I don't know as it would,' said Louisa. 

" ' At any rate, that need make no difference to you.' 

" - It wouldn't »to me,' said Mrs. Stillman, senior. ' I shouldn't 
be at all concerned about father, here, on that score, at 
least.' 

" I soon discovered that the two women were almost per- 
suaded to join us ; and a little coaxing, and wheedling, and 
fUttery soon brought their husbands to the same views. Mrs. 
Beardsley, however, opposed the matter with all her influence, 
and many were the arguments between her and Louisa. 

" * But, mother,' said Louisa, 1 the Mormons have never 
injured you — why should you be so prejudiced against them ?' 

"Because they are false teachers, false prophets, and co-work- 
ers of all iniquity,' said Mrs. Beardsley. 

" ' How do you know V 

" 1 Oh, I know — then they have two or three wives apiece.' 
" ' So did the patriarchs.' 

' Perhaps it was right, in that age of the world.' 
" ' Well, what is right in one age of the world, is right also in 
another, since the laws of right and wrong are immutable.' 

7* 



154 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" ' Oh ! my child, my child, remember your soul — your pre- 
cious, immortal soul.' 

"Mrs. Beardsley always endeavored to change the conversa- 
tion, when she found herself rather worsted in argument. 

" 'What has that remembrance to do with the righteousness 
of a plurality of wives V said Louisa, laughing. 

"'You forget that I'm your mother, thus to turn me into 
ridicule,' said Mrs. Beardsley, in a dissatisfied voice. 

"It has been conceded that opposition is the life of trade; it 
certainly is a great help in match-making, and in this case it 
rather promoted than retarded the arrangements. The three 
families were frequently together, and the conversation always 
centered on the Mormon emigration. The two Stillman families 
had concluded to join our company, and made all necessary 
preparations, and Louisa had determined to persuade her mother 
to go with them. 

" Mrs. Beardsley, a widow in good circumstances, lived with 
two or three domestics, in a small house, which she had long 
talked of selling, and for which she had received a very fair 
offer. If there was anything at which she excelled, it was 
knitting. From morn till noon, and from noon till night, 
the kuitting-work was in her hands. She kuit stockings to sell, 
and stockings to give away. Woollen stockings, cotton stockings, 
and silk stockings. All the clergymen in the neighborhood, 
several of the school teachers, and not a few of the children, 
bore on their feet the testimony of her industry and benevolence. 
She kept a great pile of stockings in a closet, which were 
regularly taken out and aired once a month. Stockings of all 
colors, sizes, and descriptions ; black, blue, green, white, yellow, 
and variegated ; big, little, and middling. It was with no small 
degree of pride that the old lady would show and review her 
treasures ; and she was quite as proud to be thus prepared to 
answer the calls of benevolence. If a beggar came along soli- 



Family Jars. 



155 



citing charity, she gave him a pair of stockings, and cared 
nothing about his muttering or looking displeased. On one 
occasion, however, the stockings were flung back in her face 
with an oath. If a tract-distributor or Home Missionary called 
soliciting contributions, the pile of stockings formed a ready 
treasure from which to obtain a donation. One of these 
worthies, however, remarked when presented .with the gift, 
' That as the stockings were black, they looked too much like 
the devil to suit him/ and asked for money. 

" * If my stockings look like the devil, money is the root of all 
evil, and I don't wish to bestow any evil gift upon a good man/ 
returned the lady. 

" As I have said, the three families were together at the resi- 
dence of Mr. Stillman, jun. That gentleman was seated in the 
door, playing with his youngest boy, who was kicking, laughing, 
and screaming in the very ecstasy of childish fun and mischief. 
Louisa was gliding about the room putting things 1 to rights/ 
as she quaintly expressed it. Emily, the beautiful girl already 
mentioned, was sitting by the window, with some plain sewing in 
her hands. Old Mrs. Stillman occupied a stuffed and cushioned 
rocking-chair, making some lace into a cap. Mr. Stillman, sen., 
was seated near her, evidently regarding her matronly counte- 
nance with the deepest veneration. And Mrs. Beardsley was 
snapping her knitting needles with rather more spirit than usual, 
her bright, black eyes sparkling with uncommon ardor, and the 
most casual observer would have decided that an argument of 
no common interest was being carried on. 

"'You are my only daughter, Louisa/ said Mrs. Beardsley. 
'That you very well know, and if you prefer the Mormons to 
me, I've no more to say. I can go and live with your brother, 
but mind you'll get nothing of me.' 

" 1 You'll give me a pair or two of stockings V said Louisa. 

" ' No, I shan't, if you have no more regard for me than that.' 



156 Female Life among the Mormons. 



" ' Well, it don't matter, but mother, you left your parents. 7 

" ' I know that, but your grandfather was giving all his pro- 
perty to the boys. I told him only the week before we moved, 
that if he would give me a deed for ten acres of woodland, I 
would never leave him,' replied Mrs. Beardsley. 

" ' I don't see what that amounts to,' said Louisa, ' only that 
you thought more of ten acres of woodland than you did of him.' 
Mrs. Beardsley looked surprised; that was certainly a view of 
the case she had never taken. 

" ' Well, mother,' said Mr. Stillman, jun., ' get ready and go 
along. I don't doubt that there will be plenty of widowers, and 
bachelors in the company. Who knows what a match you 
might make V 

11 1 Or,' said Mrs. Beardsley, 1 there might be married men, who 
would think that an old woman might be useful to nurse babies.' 

" • And knit stockings,' said Mrs. Stillman, sen. 

" ■ However, mother, you must go with us,' said Louisa ; 
' that's the whole of the matter.' 

" ' Oh ! yes,' said Mrs. Stillman, sen., 'get ready and go. ; 

" • Get ready and go,' echoed the old man. 

" At this juncture of the conversation, a letter was brought 
in and handed to Mrs. Beardsley. 

" ' From my son,' she said, breaking the seal. 

" She read a moment, threw down the letter, and went on 
knitting. 

" Louisa picked it up, glanced over the contents, and said : — 

" ' Here is news, certainly.' 

" 1 What is it V inquired Mr. Stillman. 

" ' Why, brother Henry has joined the Mormons, and is going 
to emigrate.' 

11 ' 'Now, mother, you can have no excuse.' 

" But I must bring my story to a close, for yonder are the 
wagons coming, and Mrs. Beardsley occupies one of them." 



The Prophet's Favorite. 



151 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



EMILY'S NARRATIVE. 



,ASSING over the events connected with the first few days 



of our journey, I shall only say that we had the usual 
quantum of cross, squalling babies, big, ugly boys, and dirty, 
boyish girls. Mothers scolded as they always will scold; fathers 
smoked and talked, and the preachers exhorted. Mrs. Bradish 
had introduced me to her friends, and I was particularly pleased 
with Emily's appearance. She was very beautiful, at least, so I 
thought, but beautiful women have been too often described by 
romancers for me to attempt it. One thing, however, was 
certain; our Prophet and leader evidently regarded her with 
deep admiration. The antiquated old ladies sought in vain to 
attract his notice, or share his company, he had neither eyes nor 
ears for aught but Emily. He walked with, he sat with her, he 
relaxed his haughtiness in her presence. How I trembled for her 
artless, unsuspecting innocence. She knew nothing, she did not 
even dream of the dangers in which she was involved. I had 
heard from Mrs. Bradish that some mystery was attached to 
her birth. She was probably an orphan; was it not my duty to 
attempt to shield and protect her ? 

One beautiful evening after we had encamped, built a fire, 
prepared supper and eaten it, Emily wandered off from the rest, 
and sat down on a grassy knoll. I approached, we entered into 
conversation, and she confided to me the events of her life. 
"The first that I remember," said Emily, "is being in a 




153 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



large old house, surrounded by groups of squalid children, and 

miserable-looking men and women. We were beneath the juris- 
diction of a toothless old woman, who put us to bed at night, 
assisted us to dress in the morning, and gave us orders, which 
we never obeyed, in the daytime. Our days were passed in 
running over the fields and woods after berries, climbing fences 
and trees, hunting birds' nests, and hallooing at all the travel- 
lers. We were never sent to schools or meetings, never taught 
to .pray or sing, or instructed to be good. In this respect, there 
seemed a vast difference between us and two other children 
belonging to the establishment. They might have belonged to 
a higher order of beings, and I soon learned, that in the 
mistress of the mansion they recognized a mother. We were 
never permitted to eat or play with them ; and how strangely 
their white muslin dresses, ornamented with lace and embroi- 
dery, contrasted with our coarse homespun frocks. At length, 
reason began to dawn on my mind. I felt a strange, indefina- 
ble curiosity, a mysterious yearning of heart, which I could not 
analyze ; but I wished to know something of myself and my 
parentage. A thousand times had I attempted to ask the old 
woman, whom we called, ' nurse/ but as often my resolution 
failed 5 for, in my ignorance, I knew not what language to 
employ. As I grew older, however, my timidity wore off, and 
I presented myself rather abruptly before her one day. 

" ■ Well, child, what now V she inquired. 

" ' I want to know whether or not I ever had a mother V 

" 1 Why, I expect so ; of course, everybody has a mother ; 
but what put such an idea as that in your head V 

" ' And had I a father, too V 

" ' Why, child, what on earth — how did you com£ to think of 
that V 

" ' Because I wanted to know ; wanted somebody to love me, 
and whom I could love.' 



Incipient Vanity. 



159 



" - Well, you mus'n't think of such things/ 

" 1 1 can't help it ; and then I want to know why mistress 
won't let us speak to Helen and Julia, and why she gives them 
pie and cake, and won't let us have any, and why ' • 

" 'For mercy's sake, child, you frighten mc. Now run and 
play.' ■ 

" ' But you ha'n't told me yet/ 

" 'Oh I I can't tell you. You mus'n't ask such questions.' 
• " ' At any rate, you can tell me, why there are so many more 
people here than I ever see at Mr. Mannington's ? and why 
these men keep coming to bring all sorts of sick, and lame, 
and ugly persons here, just as if there wasn't enough such 
now.' 

" ' Souls alive ! this is the poor-house/ 
" 1 And what is the poor-house V 

11 1 Why, it's where all the poor, and sick, and lame folks go 
to, to be took care of/ 

" ' Did they bring me here ?' 

" ' You was born here, as near as I can find out/ 

" Ajfter awhile I began to shrink from the presence of those 
with whom I had been accustomed to associate. I had a long' 
ing for higher pursuits and nobler pleasures. The imbecile and 
idiotic were the objects of my especial dislike ; my mind had 
not been trained sufficiently to pity them. 

" One of the women up-stairs had a small mirror, in which I 
was sometimes permitted to look. 

" ' Child, do you know that you are beautiful V she said to me 
one day. 

" 'Beautiful; what is it?' I knew not the meaning of the 
word. 

" ' Do you know that you are pretty, then ? nice, sweet, like 
the flowers and humming-birds/ 

" I caught a glimpse, of her meaning. 



160 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" ' No ; no. I didn't 'spect I was, my clothes is old, and my 
hair tangled.' 

" - Never mind that ; you are a thousand times more beautiful 
than Mrs. Bassett's girls, with all their finery and ringlets. 
Your hair would curl beautifully, too, with a little care. I know 
it would. Come, sit down here at my feet, and let me try it.' 

V I obeyed willingly, but it was no easy task that she had 
undertaken. The hair was tangled, matted, and almost felted ; 
it had not been combed for a month. 

" ' This beats all,' she said, after tugging and pulling at the 
refractory locks. " Warn't your hair never straightened in the 
World ? There, don't cry, child, or I shan't have the courage to 
go on with it ; but such a mat I never did see.' 

" I sobered up, determined to bear the infliction like a heroine, 
and have my hair curled once. What would the rest of them 
think when they saw me in ringlets ? 

" An hour probably elapsed before my hair-dressing was com- 
pleted, then, with the assistance of some soap and water, my 
hands and face were cleansed and smoothly polished. 

" * I declare, child, it does my eyes good to see you. Look 
here, and she presented the small mirror. I looked, and 
screamed with delight.' 

" 'Now go down, and let 'em see you.' 

" I hesitated a moment, and then obeyed. A half-idiot 
woman was passing through the hall, bearing a huge tub of 
water, as I descended. At my unwonted appearance she gave 
a start of surprise, dropped the tub, and splashed the beautiful 
dress of the mistress, who was walking from the parlor, accom- 
panied by a visiting lady. 

"The servant stood pale and trembling ; the mistress glanced 
around and beheld me. But the visitor had seen me first, and 
the varying emotions of pity, admiration, and surprise were 
plainly visible on her features. 



Scenes in a Poor-House. 



161 



" 1 Oil ! it's you, you hussy ; well, I don't wonder you 
frightened Sally, your hair fixed in that kind of style, exactly 
like — well, no matter ; but don't appear before rae again in 
that fashion." 

" ' On the contrary,' said the visitor, - I should be delighted 
to behold such a beautiful child every day — to have her alway 
in my presence. Look here, darling ; I never saw such beauti 
ful ringlets and expressive eyes.' 

" The last remark was unfortunate, for Mrs. Bassett's two 
daughters had approached, and were standing by their mother. 
She glanced angrily towards me, and then at them. 

" ' Go up-stairs, and stay till I send for you,' she said, and I 
obeyed with willingness. 

" At dusk, I heard the passionate sound of sobbing in the 
family room. My curiosity could not be restrained, and I 
crept softly down to listen. Presently, a voice, which I knew 
to be Julia's, said, ' Oh ! mother, it is too bad ; I can't, and 
won't bear it. Only to think that lady said her hair and eyes 
were the most beautiful she ever beheld. Oh, dear !' 

" ' Don't cry, Julia. I'll take care that you are never insulted 
in that manner again, that I will,' and approaching the staircase, 
she cried at the top of her voice, 1 Em, come here.' 

"Trembling with apprehension, I came forward. 

" ' How dare you appear in my presence, with your hair in 
such a fix to-day — exactly like Julia ? Didn't you know that 
it wasn't suitable nor fit for one in your condition ?' 

" ■ No, ma'am.' 

" 'Well, it isn't, and to prevent you from doing so here- 
.after, I shall cut off your hair. Go, Julia, bring me my 
scissors.' 

" Julia was delighted to obey. 

" ' Now sit down here.' 

" I sat down before her, and the operation commenced. In a 



162 Female Life among the Mormons. 

few minutes my hair was all cropped short, close to my head. 
Julia laughed outrageously. 

" ' There, Julia, hush,' said the mother. 1 I'm sure it looks 
much more becoming and proper for a girl like you, whose 
mother was a' She stopped. 

" ' What was my mother V I inquired. 

" ' Nobody ; but now go to bed at once.' 

" I retreated, and Julia remarked as I passed out : ' She 
won't look so beautiful to Mrs. Burney now.' 

" I went up stairs, and met Betsey at the entrance of her 
room. 

' " ' Sakes alive, child, what have they been doing to you ?' she 
cried out. 

" The lights were burning, and she could see very plainly. 

" ' Cutting off my hair.' 

" ' Heathens ! Barbarians ! Who done it V 

11 1 The mistress.' 

" ' What did she do that for V 

" 1 She said it wasn't proper for one in my station to wear 
her hair as Miss Julia wore hers.' 

" ■ Station, indeed ! better talk about station ! Her father 
died in jail, and her mother was supported by the township for 
years ; and this lady here, who talks about station, worked 
around the country at pot-wrestling, till Bassett, an old 
widower, with a small house, and a large family, took pity on 
her,' and Betsey was obliged to pause, and take breath. 

" I stood listening, though unable to comprehend the full 
meaning of the words. 

" ' Betsey, what is that you are saying V called Mrs. Bassett, 
from the foot of the stairs. 

" ' The truth,' replied Betsey. 

" ' Well, don't you never dare to speak such words of me 
. again. I won't bear it, indeed I won't.' 



The Poor-House in an Uproar. 



163 



" ' Yes ; you will bear it/ replied Betsey, whose dander was 
fairly up. " You will bear it, because you can't help it ; and as 
for my telling it, I shall do that just when I please. Here, 
you've cut off this poor child's hair for no earthly reason, only 
because Mrs. Burney praised and noticed it. It's a real wonder 
that you didn't dig out her eyes, and smear corrosive sublimate 
over her face, to make her as ugly as your great red-faced, ftat- 
nosed brats.' 

" Mrs. Bassett had several times attempted to speak, but 
Betsey's eloquence effectually stifled her voice ; and half the 
persons in the house, hearing the unwonted noise, came rushing 
to the scene of action, demanding what was the matter ?' 

"'Why; just look!' said Betsey, 'just look!' and she 
dragged me forth in plain view. 'Just see how she cut off that 
poor child's hair, because it was so much prettier than Julia's V 

" ' Did the mistress do that ? — what a shame ! — what a 
shame !' 

" Mrs. Bassett, provided with a long lash, which she laid lus- 
tily about her, finally succeeded in dispersing the crowd, when I 
retreated timidly to bed. 

"The next day, Mrs. Burney called again, and inquired for 
me. I heard her pleasant voice, and Mrs. Bassett's reply. 

" ' Excuse me, madam, but what can you want with the 
child V 

" ' I want her to go home with me ; I have obtained a permit 
to take her, from the overseers/ 

" ' For a servant ?' suggested Mrs. Bassett. 

" ' No ; for a daughter. I wish to adopt her, and make her 
my heir.' 

" ' You certainly do not wish to adopt a child whose mother 
was a' I could not hear the remainder of the sentence. 

" ' Mrs. Bassett, I have said it. The child is good and pure, 
and exceedingly beautiful. Will you please to call her V 



164 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" Mrs. Bassett hesitated, as if seeking some excuse, but find- 
ing none, she ordered me into the parlor. 

"Mrs. Burney gazed on my shaven head with looks of min- 
gled surprise and pity ; then turning to Mrs. Bassett, she 
inquired : 

" ' Who wrought all that ruin V 

" ' If you mean, who cut off her hair — I done it. I don't con- 
sider it proper for a child in her condition to wear curls.' 

11 Tears sprang to the eyes of Mrs. Burney, as she said : 

" • Oh ! Mrs. Bassett, how could you be so cruel ? Come 
here my darling — but your curls will grow again. We will have 
some tonic to start it.' 

" ' Am I going home with you ?' I said, nestling close to the 
kind lady. 

" ' Yes, darling ; you shall go with me, and be my daughter.' 

" 1 What is daughter V 

" 1 I'll be a mother to you,' she answered. 

" ' Will you ? will you V I cried, dancing around the room. 
4 Oh ? I shall be so happy !' 

" I had no experience of the love or tenderness of a mother, 
but yet an instinct of nature told me that it was something 
exceedingly pleasant and endearing." 

The account of the residence of Emily with Mrs. Burney, and 
her experiences in that situation, must be deferred to another 
place. 



Polygamy encouraged by the Prophet. 165 



CHAPTER XIX. 

SUNDRY MATTERS. 

IT is scarcely necessary to remark that with the demise of 
Smith, Mormonism took a new aspect in many particulars. 
This is chiefly to be attributed to the difference in the characters 
of the leaders. B m, though professing to believe in mira- 
cles, rarely attempted the exhibition of them, and finally, ceased 
to talk of any such thing. Smith had introduced spiritual- 
wifery, under the pretence of a pure platonic, or rather spiritual 

affection ; B m openly advocated polygamy ; and, in order 

that his precepts and practices might coincide, he espoused 
three wives in one day. Before the demise of Smith, however, 
polygamy was slowly coming into practice, though the senti- 
ments of the ladies were divided on the subject. It was decided 
by the latter to be not simply a privilege, but a duty, and the 
virtues of the believers were estimated very much by the num- 
bers of their wives. During the journey, however, they had 
little time for marrying, or giving in marriage. 

Our guide was a young man, named Harmer, who bore the 
title of Captain, in consideration of his having once held that 
office in the Mormon legion, those first pioneers of that faith, 
who, in the service of the United States, had explored the 
region of the Great Salt Lake, in their overland route to Cali- 
fornia. It was chiefly through his representations of the health, 
and beauty, and fertility of the country, that the Mormons had 



166 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



been induced to emigrate thither. And Harmer seemed fully 
competent for the task he had undertaken. Hale, energetic, and 
robust, he appeared incapable of fatigue, and being endowed 
with great self-command, he readily acquired an unlimited influ- 
ence over the minds of others. 

We travelled for several days through a country sparsely 
inhabited by white people ; over great rolling prairies, with pro- 
bably a small house in the midst, like a solitary ship in a 
boundless expanse of ocean ; along the banks of muddy, marshy 
streams, and beneath the shades of the imposing cotton-wood 
trees. Here we had few adventures worth recording — perhaps 
a wagon broke down, or a horse became lame. Not unfrequently 
we were entertained with the music of those family-organs, 
squalling babies. Sometimes a refractory mule refused to do its 
duty, or a cow parted from our company without saying " good 
bye." On the whole, however, we had a fine time of it, espe- 
cially when compared with what was to come. 

We numbered one hundred and twenty wagons, each wagon 
being drawn by four mules ; fifty horsemen, and twenty-five led 
horses ; besides a great number of cattle, sheep, and hogs, 
designed to be slaughtered on the way for food, or to serve for 
stock when we arrived at our journey's end. 

When we arrived at St. Louis, we found several other wagons 
waiting to join us, and, after a short" delay, proceeded to cross 
the Mississippi, and strike off through the uninhabited ocean of 
prairie. It may be as well to observe, in this place, that, in 
consequence of time and trouble, I have forgotten the names of 
many of the streams and mountains, and can only testify as to 
the general features of the country. 

We took the Santa Fe road, however, and, continuing that 
day in the same direction, encamped at night on the borders of 
a small stream. During our journey, it was customary to 
encamp about an hour before sunset, when the wagons were so 



A Stampede. 



161 



arranged as to form a sort of barricade, in a circular form, in 
the centre of which tents were pitched in military style. The 
mules and horses were then hobbled and turned loose to graze, 
ia company with the stock, which the men watched and took 
care of by turns. At nightfall the horses, mules, and oxen were 
collected and picketed — that is, secured by a halter to a stake, 
one end of which was driven in the ground, while the cattle and 
sheep were brought into the enclosure. At day-break the camp 
was roused, the animals turned loose to graze, and breakfast 
prepared. 

Mrs. Bradish was exceedingly busy, and professed herself to 
be in raptures with such a nomadic mode of life. 

" Wasn't it nice and romantic," she said, looking round. " So 
many families all cooking and eating in the open air, exactly 
like gipsies." 

" It looks rather strange," I said. 

Mr. Ward brought in his usual comparison of the Israelites 
journeying to the Promised Land. 

" And once there," interposed B m, " we will show the 

heathen our power and independence of them and their devilish 
government. Yes, there " , and he nodded authoritatively. 

We halted at noon, for an hour or two, to rest and dine, and 
on the second day of our route forded a small stream. While 
making our encampment at night, one of the women became 
frightened at a huge spider. Her screams terrified the horses ; 
they commenced rearing and plunging, and finally broke loose, 
when they set off over the hills at fall speed. Harmer and some 
others went in pursuit, but did not return with the fugitives till 
near morning. 

Mrs. Bradish could not conceal her vexation. " Now see 
what you have done ! I'd be ashamed of myself — 'fraid of a spi- 
der. What if they should all get lost, and not return at all ? 
Pretty times we should have without Harmer, wouldn't we I" 



168 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



Mr. "Ward said he anticipated no danger of snch a catastro- 
phe as that, yet he conld not conceive what a woman saw in a 
spider to be frightened at. 

Her husband scolded her severely, and even threatened to use 

his lash about her back, at which B m smiled complacently. 

Indeed, I observed that the further we removed from the civil- 
ized settlements, the more tyrannical the husbands became, and 
I finally began to wonder what would be the end of it. 

Towards morning it began to rain heavily, and as our tents 
were formed of light and thin materials, they afforded but slight 
resistance to the watery element, and a more deplorable look- 
ing set than we presented, when morning came, can hardly be 
imagined. We were all wet as drowned rats, to use a familiar 
expression, and, though sharing the misfortune of the others, I 
laughed heartily, at their doleful appearance. Some seemed to 
enjoy the scene with me, others cried, the babies squalled lustily, 
and not a few of the men employed language that sounded mar- 
vellously like swearing. 

" My young un's actually drowned," said a woman, coming 
forward and holding up a lean, pale child, that looked, indeed, 
as if it had been water-soaked. 

" Hold it up by the feet, then," said one of the men. 

" In that case its head will drop off," said another. 

" Oh, dear, just look at my bonnet 1" screamed one of the 
girls. 

The bonnet had been stiffened with paste-board, and now it 
seemed a mass of wet paper and starch. 

"Well, it's too bad," said Mrs. Stillman, sen. "I never 
thought such things could happen." 

" I never thought such things could happen," echoed the old 
man. 

Louisa said that she expected just such things, and much 
worse. 



A Rain-Storm in tee Prairies. 



169 



" Then you was a fool," said Mrs. Beardsley, " for ever 
starting on such a barbarous journey. Only to think of it, I 
wonder what will come next. Here's my knitting-work, wet as 
a hog. I can do nothing at all with it." 

" But, mother, it will dry when the rain ceases." 

"Rain cease, indeed !" said the old lady ; " when will it ever 
cease ? Why, I've heard say that it rained two or three weeks, 
right straight ahead, sometimes." 

Harmer, who had returned, looked up with the utmost seri- 
ousness. 

" Why, madam, that's nothing at all to what I've seen. Why, 
I've known it to rain for six months ; and we even got so used 
to the water once, that we went diving and paddling about, like 
a parcel of ducks." 

"Then heaven help me !" said the lady, "for I could never 
live through it." 

But the worst of it was, we could not light a fire to get break- 
fast, and such provisions as we had, were thoroughly soaked. 

B m took the thing with all the coolness of philosophy, or 

fanaticism. " The rain," he said, " was probably sent to try 
their faith and patience ; and he hoped and trusted that they 
would manifest the spirit of true believers." 

Mr. Ward suggested that a shelter for the fire should be 
made, by arranging in wigwam fashion some of the wagon- 
boards. This was soon done, and then one family after another 
prepared breakfast ; but it was eaten without much pleasure. 
The men stood round, with the water running from their 
slouched hats ; the garments of the females hung straight and 
dripping ; five or six infants, who crept instead of walking, were 
spatting and plashing in the little pools ; while the youngsters 
of eight or ten years were running, hallooing and whooping, like 
young savages, through the rain and mud. 

At length Harmer burst into a loud, uncontrollable laugh. 

8 



170 



Female Life among the Mokmoxs. 



" I declare, it's better than any show I ever witnessed, just to 
see how you all look. Do see Mrs. Beardsley's hair ! ,? 

The lady's hair, being false, had fallen down over her face, 
where it hung, dangling and dripping. 

Towards noon the rain ceased, and the sun came out very 
warm, which gave us an opportunity to dry our wet garments. 
Here, likewise, an ox was butchered for food, and the meat 
equally divided among the company. 

The consequences of the rain, however, lasted for some time. 
Several of the children, and some of the women, became sick. 
Fortunately, I had provided many little essentials of medicine 
and comfort, while in St. Louis, which were now extremely useful 
in ministering to the wants of the weak and diseased. Mrs. Mur- 
ray was of the latter, but though she had so kindly administered 
to her husband, when he was wounded, on the present occasion he 
paid little attention to her, but employed himself in caressing and 
riding with Mrs. Cook. Oh, the vanity and perversity of men ! 

It cannot be denied, that the neglect of her husband, and the 
scorn of his companion sorely grieved her sensitive mind, and 
had a great effect in shortening her life. Indeed, I attributed 
her disease to this, more than to any other cause. She grew 
melancholic, and would remain a whole day without speaking or 
noticing any one. Then one of her children was seized with 
malignant dysentery. The mother looked up joyfully, and 
smiled. " My children," she said, " have been the only ties that 
bound me to earth. I thank my heavenly Father that he has 
heard my prayers, and is about to remove them first. Yes, 
Father, I thank Thee," she exclaimed, lifting her eyes and hands 
to heaven, '"'that in the midst of judgment, thou hast remem- 
bered mercy, and art about to take us to Thyself." 

That night, the other children were attacked, and before the 
sunset of the following day illuminated the tops of the distant 
mountains, the three had fallen asleep. The mother neither 



A Solemn Scene. 



m 



wept nor murmured ; indeed, she looked radiant with holy joy ; 
and the spiritual expression of her eyes was a rapture to behold. 
I prepared the snowy garments for the dead, and they were laid 
out in their soft, cold beauty, beneath the thousand stars, and 
the quiet moonbeams. Their grave had been prepared at the 
foot of a grassy hill, on the banks of a small stream, beneath the 
shade of a grove of poplars. Three attendants stood near, with 
flaming torches, while two by two came the long procession, to 
gaze on their pallid faces. Mr. Murray approached, the mother 
of the dead children hanging on his arm. Surely, conscience 
was at work in his soul ; for his knees trembled, and throwing 
himself on the ground, beside the dead, he groaned aloud. Not 
so with the mother : she stood calm and collected for a moment, 
then stooped and kissed the icy brows, smoothed the death-damp 
locks, and then raised a clear song of thanksgiving and triumph, 
that her darlings had gone before ; that she was about to fol- 
low. 'Twas a strange and impressive spectacle : the night ; the 
gleaming torches, showing, fitfully and indistinct, the gathered 
multitude ; then the dead children — the open grave — the weep- 
ing father, and that mother, raising a strain of victory and 
immortal hope. 

After the ceremony was concluded, I pressed forward to offer 
her my hand. 

" Will you spend this night with me?" she asked ; " some- 
thing whispers that it will be my last." 

" I will, certainly, if you wish it ; but don't indulge in such 
gloomy reflections." 

" Gloomy ?" she said ; " Oh, they are ones of happiness 
to me !" 

Informing Mr. Ward of her wish, I retired to her tent. 

Mr. Murray came in and sat down in one corner, unperceived 
by her. She lay on a pallet, and now that the excitement of the 
past hour had worn off, she was pale and weak as a child. 



172 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" I wished that you should be present with me, Mrs. Ward, 
in this, which I firmly believe to be my last hour. I have long 
had a presentiment that my death was near, and the thought 
was one of rejoicing. I had nothing on earth to live for but my 
children, and now they are removed, and I thank God~I thank 
God !" 

She lay still a moment and then resumed : " You have sym- 
pathized with me in my great affliction, an affliction which has 
been sanctified to my soul's eternal interest ; once I believed in 
Mormonism ; once I forsook the faith of my father, and forgot 
the dying admonitions of my mother. But the estrangement of 
my husband opened my eyes, and I felt — I knew — that a belief 
which sanctioned and promoted such sinful practices, must be of 
the Evil One ; and then I said, in the language of the patriarch, 
' Oh, my soul ! come not into their secret ; to their assembly, 
my honor, be thou not united/ But circumstances forbade my 
return to the friends of my youth, for I must be weaned from 
my idols." 

"You weary yourself, Mrs. Murray," I said; "here, take 
this," and I administered a pleasant cordial. 
" Feel my pulse," she said. 

I did so ; there was not the least perceptible flutter. I saw 
that she was sinking rapidly. 

" Joy ! joy 1" she said. " I go." 

Mr. Murray could contain himself no longer. He rose, and 
approached the bed. 

" Sarah, my wife," he said, "have you no regret for me ?" 

She opened her half-shut eyes, extended her thin, pale hand, 
and faintly murmured, "My husband, I pity and forgive you." 

" And is that all V he said, choking with emotion. 

" What more is necessary ?" 

" Wretched man that I am," he groaned. " Oh ! that I had 
remained true to you and virtue." 



The Closing Scene. 



113 



Mrs. Murray seemed to have forgotten his presence. " Bend 
near me, Mrs. Ward/ 7 she murmured. 
I stooped over the bed. 

" My last request is to be buried beside my children ; but 
don't let that man, B— m, come near me. I forbade his 
attendance at the burial of my babes. Yes ; I knelt down, and 
implored and begged him to stay away. Oh ! the Mormon 
faith will not do to die by." 

" In what faith do you die ?" I said, solemnly. 

" The faith in which I was born, and here," she said, " here is 
a letter which I wish you to send to my venerated pastor, should 
an opportunity ever occur," and she drew from the folds of her 
garment a sheet of paper, delicately traced. 

<£ You will send it ?" she murmured faintly. 

"If an opportunity ever occurs." 

" Now read." 

I opened a well-worn Testament that lay beside her on the 
bed, and commenced reading. Once or twice she attempted to 
speak, but her voice faltered. At length, I came to that inimi- 
tably beautiful passage, " 1 am the resurrection and the life 
saith the Lord, whosever believeth in me, though he were dead, 
yet shall he live ; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me 
shall never die." 

Summoning all her strength, she articulated, " Amen ! amen ! 
Lord Jesus receive my spirit." 

There was a gurgling in the throat, a shadow passed over the 
countenance, and all was still. 

" Let me die the death of the righteous, let my last end be 
like his." 

Mr. Murray arose from his recumbent posture, gazed mourn- 
fully at the face of the dead, and prepared to go out. 

" Will you call Mrs. Stillman to my assistance ?" I asked. 
He assented, and in a few minutes that lady came in. That 



It4 Female Life among the Mormons. 



night we sat with the dead, and when the morning dawned, 
the children's grave was opened to receive the body of their 
parent. As no clergyman was present, I read over the grave 
the beautiful and affecting burial service of the Church of 
England. 

Mr. Murray seemed deeply affected at the time, but his versa- 
tile mind could not long retain the impression of a painful 



FORDING A RIVER, AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 

S yet, we had found no difficulty in crossing the streams. 



They had been wide, but shallow, with hard bottoms, and 
the mules had easily drawn the wagons over them. However, 
the evil was yet to come. We came one day to the banks of a 
deep, turgid, and rapid river, two hundred yards wide, with an 
apparently rocky bottom. There was a general halt ordered, 
and a consultation took place. Some proposed to unload the 
wagons, take them to pieces, and ferry the whole over in a small 
India rubber boat, that belonged to the company ; others 
proposed to build a raft capable of supporting the wagons and 
their loads ; while yet a third party were of the opinion that 
the mules could swim across, and draw the wagons after them. 

" JSo such nonsense as that," said Harmer ; " they'll certainly 
get tangled in the harness and drowned. I tell you, we must 
make a raft," and seizing his axe, started off for a poplar grove. 
He was soon joined by several others, and the raft was directly 
in process of construction. 

" I'd like to know how we are to get over anyhow," said 



sorrow. 



CHAPTER XX. 




The First G-reat Difficulty. 



175 



Mrs. Beardsley. " Heaven knows, I wish I were back again. 
What a dreadful soaking we had the other day, when it rained. 
Poor Mrs. Murray and her children actually died of it. Mrs. 
Crosman says, she hasn't been well since, and that two of her 
children came very near having the inflammation of the lungs. 
It's dreadful to think of." 

" So it is," said Mrs. Stillman, sen. 

" So it is," echoed her husband. 

Mrs. Bradish, as usual, was all heroism. She would go over 
on horseback, she said ; and dressed in man's apparel, she rode 
up and down the stream to discover the safest place to enter. 
She even proposed that every horseman should take a woman 
behind him, and cross the stream with her, that being the safest 
and most expeditious mode of conveyance. 

"Have faith, and all will be well," cried B m ; "as for 

me and my wives we could walk over dry shod, if I willed it ; 
but I don't." 

" I wish you would will it, and take us all over that way," said 
Mrs. Beardsley. " I'm sure I don't want my knitting-work to 
get wet again. It was two days drying, and in two days I 
might have knit a stocking." 

"If there was nothing of more value than your knitting- 
work getting wet, small damage would be done," said Louisa. 

Yet Louisa was wrong in her remark ; for things are valua- 
ble only as they are esteemed. 

" Can any one tell me what they are trying to make down 
there ?" said Mrs. Stillman, sen., as she came round to the fire 
where I was preparing dinner. 

" They are building a raft," I answered. 

" What kind of a thing is that ?" she inquired. 

" Oh ! I can't describe it ; but you will probably see before 
long." 

" Well, such work as we have I never did see." 



176 Female Life among the Mormons. 



" I never did see/' echoed the old man, who had followed his 
wife. 

" I don't see anything strange at all," said . Mrs. Bradish. 
" It's nothing strange that there's a river, or that it has to be 
crossed, or that a raft should be built for that purpose. I made 
my calculations on these things." 

The raft was soon constructed. It consisted of middling-sized 
logs, bound together by very strong ropes and chains, on which 
thick planks were laid, and fastened with iron spikes. One 
wagon only could be taken over at a time, and the process of 
crossing immediately commenced. Twenty-five horsemen were 
to go go over first, in order to carry the ropes attached to the 
raft. Mrs. Bradish declared that she would go with them, and 
insisted that twenty-five of the women should each choose her 
cavalier, and pass over on horseback. 

" Don't think of such a thing," said a man by the name of 
Randolph, who had joined us at St. Louis, and who was infi- 
nitely fond of leading, directing, and giving advice. ''Don't 
think of such a thing, ladies ; you can go over in the wagons 
with much less danger of getting wet. Don't you think so, Bro- 
ther B m ?" 

Mrs. Bradish gave him a look that might have withered him. 

" I don't see why you men must always interfere in the affairs 
of the women. I have decided on my course. What say the 
others ?" 

" Come, Emily, go with me ; I'll carry you over like a duck," 
said Harmer. 

Our stately hierarch approached, and advised Emily to wait 
and go with him. 

" I prefer to go with Mr. Harmer," said Emily. 

The two men exchanged glances. There was defiance and 
pleasure on one side, malice and envy on the other. From that 
day forth they were rivals. 



Perilous Passage. 



171 



Many of the younger women decided to go over behind the 
men on horseback — it was so romantic. 

I preferred to remain in our wagon with my husband and his 
children. Mrs. Bradish mounted her steed with its sweeping 
mane and tail, and first plunged into the stream. 

She was followed by Harmer and Emily, and after them came 
the rest. Several of the horses became restive, and some of 
them seemed actually incapable of resisting the strength of the 
current. They were carried imperceptibly down the river. 
This was especially the case with the one Mrs. Bradish rode. 
Then he grew mad and frightened at the unwonted exertion, and 
began to rear and plunge in the water, sometimes striking the 
rocks with his fore-feet, and throwing . himself above the waves, 
and then almost entirely disappearing beneath the turgid swells. 
The lady, however, kept her seat nobly, though the steed grew 
more unmanageable every moment. Trembling and frightened 
we beheld her danger from the shore, but could not go to her 
assistance. The horsemen were too deeply engaged with their 
own restive animals, and the partners of their danger, to afford 
her the protection she required. At length a huge wave, sweep- 
ing directly against her waist, carried her instantaneously from 
the saddle. She retained sufficient presence of mind, however, to 
buoy up herself for a moment, and, springing forward, she caught 
the horse by the neck ; neither did she quit her hold till both 
were safely landed on the opposite bank. She then took off her 
cap, wrung the water from her dripping hair and garments, and 
waved her handkerchief in token of success. A loud shout 
greeted her, and in a few minutes more we had the satisfaction to 
perce^e that the whole company were safely over. The wagons 
were then drawn over, one by one, on the raft, though not with- 
out danger and difficulty, in consequence of the strong current. 

" We're sinking ! we're sinking !" said Mrs. Stillman, sen. ; 
" didn't you feel it then V 9 

8* 



178 Female Life among the Mormons. 

" Yes ! didn't you feel it ?" echoed the husband as usual. 
" Feel what ?" inquired Louisa. 

" Why, the sinking ! Lord help ! — it's all going to pieces !" 
she cried. 

The raft had caught on a sharp, jagged rock, and the utmost 
exertions were required to get it loose. Randolph persisted 
that everything went wrong because his advice was not fol- 
lowed. 

" The raft, I tell you, wasn't made right in the first place. 
Don't you say so, Brother B -m ?" 

" Randolph, shut up," said one of the others. " Here mount 
this mule, take a pole, and plunge into the stream, and help to 
work the raft off. It's stuck on the rock fast as a roach." 

Randolph said he should do nothing, as the whole affair had 
been transacted contrary to his advice. 

" If you don't, by the devil," said the person addressed, "you 
may get your wagon over the best way you can, for I'll have 
nothing to do with it." 

" Nor I either," said another. 

" Nor I," " Nor I," shouted a third and fourth. 

" Well, I think" — commenced Randolph. 

"Who cares what you think? Stop vour talk, and go to 
work." 

Randolph turned away sullenly, seized the pole, and com* 
menced operations. At length, after long-continued and great 
exertions, the raft was gotten clear, and the wagon landed. 

"Oh ! dear !" said Mrs. Stillman, rubbing her hands ; how 
glad I am that we are safe. I expected to go to the bottom 
every moment." 

" We expected to go to the bottom every moment," said the 
old man. 

" That was very foolish," said Mrs. Bradish. 
"What was foolish ?" 



The Catastrophe. 



179 



« Why, to be afraid when there was no danger." 

" Come here, mother, and warm yourself by this fire, and 
have a good cup of coffee." 

While they were partaking refreshments, we went over, and 
the raft being carried higher up, we had no difficulty. 

Mrs. Beardsley insisted on remaining till the very last wagon, 
because, she said, if all the rest got over safely, there could be 
no danger for her." 

But the night was fast coming on, and in their anxiety to get 
all over before the darkness closed in, it was decided to put 
upon the raft the two remaining wagons, with their accompany- 
ing loads. The raft had evidently sustained an injury on the 
rocks, for the minute it was launched the last time, it parted in 
the middle, precipitating the wagon in which Mrs. Beardsley 
rode into the foaming torrent. It was instantly submerged. 
One wild piercing scream rose from the water, it was answered 
simultaneously from the shore. 

" Mother ! mother 1" shrieked Louisa. " Oh ! mother will 
be drowned ; but she wouldn't come over when we did. Oh, 
dear ! oh, dear !" and rushing down to the water, she would 
have plunged in, regardless of the consequences, had not her hus- 
band prevented her. Twenty men were by this time in the 
water, and Louisa had the unspeakable satisfaction to see her 
mother drawn from the waves, though cold and insensible. 

" She has only fainted," said one of the men, "she don't 
appear to have swallowed much water." 

" With warming, and rubbing, and the application of restora- 
tives, I think she will recover," said Mr. Ward. 

We removed her wet garments, wrapped her torpid limbs in 
warm flannels, bathed her face with camphor, and applied harts- 
horn to her nostrils. 

" Just the way," said Mrs. Bradish, " a cowardly person is 
almost certain to run into danger," 



180 Female Life among the Mormons. 



" But you are no coward, and I thought you were in some 
danger/ 7 I said. 

" I in danger! not in the least. I felt no more frightened than 
I do this moment. 7 ' 

" It's something dreadful to be upset in the water that way," 
said Mrs. Stillman, sen. 

"It was more of a setting down, I should think," said 
Harmer. 

By this time she had recovered sufficiently to open her eyes 
and commence speaking. 

" I shall never forgive myself in the world for persuading her 
to come with us, if she gets hurt," said Louisa. 

" Hurt," said the old lady, looking at her daughter. " Did 
you say I was hurt ?" 

" I hope not, dear mother." 

" But where am I ? what is the matter ?" she inquired. "Oh! 
I remember, the wagon tumbled from the raft into the water. 
Wasn't that it ?" 

Louisa nodded affirmatively. 

" And I was wet, water-soaked, wonder if it'll kill me, like it 
did poor Mrs. Murray and her children ?" 

While we were attending to her, the men had succeeded in 
driving the cattle over, and all were safely encamped by the time 
that the young moon arose over the hills. 

" And so I've been drowned and come to life again. It's a 
miracle of mercy. I can believe it," said Mrs. Beardsley, as 
myself and Mrs. Bradish entered her tent that evening. 

" Nonsense," said Mrs. Bradish, " you were no more drowned 
than I was — you were only wet and frightened ; that was 
all." 

" Oh ! you needn't talk that way. I was drowned. I know 
that my sensations were those of a drowning person exactly." 
" And what were your sensations ?" 



Alarmed by Indians. 



181 



"They wouldn't bear description," said the old lady, evidently 
a little piqued. 

Mr. Stillman soon came in, and informed us that some of the 
scouts had returned with information that a large party of 
Indians were stationed on a neighboring hill. 

" Are they enemies ?" inquired Mrs. Bradish. 

"To be sure they be," said Mrs. Beardsley, "Indians always 
are. Twice we've been drowned, now it comes our turn to be 
roasted; I only wonder what'll be next." 

"It is impossible to tell whether they be friends or enemies ; 
if the latter they will probably attack the camp to-night. It 
will be necessary to set a double watch, and be prepared for any 
emergency," said Mr. Stillman. 

" I knew we should never live to get there, and I said so from 
the first," said Mrs. Beardsley. 

" Did your knitting-work get wet ?" inquired Mrs. Bradish, 

" Yes ; it did, and the color run, so it's spoiled." 

" That's a great misfortune." 

I proposed returning, and we went to our tent. We found 
Mr. Ward somewhat alarmed about the Indians. He said they 
were evidently a war party of the Sioux, who had been on an 
expedition against the Crows. 

It will hardly be supposed that we slept that night. The 
presence of a party of marauding savages was anything but 
pleasant, and when I remembered all the horrid things they were 
capable of doing, my apprehensions became intolerable. Two 
or three times in the night we were alarmed by the screams of 
some night-bird, and the distant howling of a wolf, but the 
morning dawned, and found us safe and sound. 



182 Female Life among the Mormons. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

WOMEN LOST OR CAPTURED. 

ii FT! HANK heaven,' 7 said Mrs. Beardsley, while we were 
X preparing breakfast. " Thank heaven that we are alive 
this morning. I expected to have been carried off bodily." 

"I had faith that we shouldn't be attacked. I prayed fer- 
vently that the Lord would discomfit these sons of Belial, and 
the fervent effectual prayer of the righteous availeth much," said 
B m, the leader. 

" Pugh !" said Harmer, -"I know better than that, what 
started off the Indians. They found out that we had discovered 
them, and so they have slipped out of the bag. Now they will 
probably hang around, and like enough attack us at some inde- 
fensible point unawares. These red-skins are up to all sorts of 
deviltry." 

" Fiddle on the Indians," said Mrs. Bradish, " I ain't a bit 
afraid of them, and now that they are gone I mean to have a 
good canter over the prairie. The morning is fine, and I know 
that it will do me good after my wetting yesterday. Emily, 
you will ride with me, won't you ?" 

" The experiment will be attended with great danger," said 
Harmer. " Don't go." 

" You think we can't take care of ourselves," said Mrs. Bradish, 
laughing, " we'll show you the contrary." 

" I think," said Harmer, solemnly, " that the Indians are 
lurking about. It will be their policy to cut off stragglers. 



FoolhardinEss op Mrs. Bradish. 183 



"But I ain't a straggler," said Mrs. Bradish. 
" The Indians might think you one, however, if they saw you 
alone." 

" I don't intend to be alone. Emily is going with me." 

We all used our best endeavors to dissuade Mrs. Bradish 
from her rash undertaking, but in vain. The very alarm we 
manifested seemed only to strengthen her resolution. 

" My steed carries double finely," she said. "He is famous 
on a race, and will easily distance the Indians, should there be 
any about, of which I am doubtful." 

"You will, possibly, find out to your cost," said Harmer. 
"If Emily could only be induced to stay." 

" Oh, it's Emily you care about." 

" I think you are running uselessly into danger," said Ran- 
dolph. " Don't you think so, Brother B m ?" 

" I have faith," said B m, " that the heathen have all 

been discomfited by an angel of the Lord ; and that the sisters 
may go forth with perfect safety." 

" There, there ; now you see," said Mrs. Bradish, laughing. 
" Come, Harmer, be my cavalier, and bring round the steed." 

" Mrs. Bradish, will you permit some of the men to ride with 
you," said Harmer, approaching where the lady was saddling 
her horse. " If you persist in going, allow me, at least, to send 
a guard with you." 

"With me I" and she laughed outrageously. "Indeed, Mr. 
Harmer, I think that you need a guard much more than I do. 
Timorous people, I almost said cowards, are always in danger." 

Harmer reddened, and, turning round, left her without saying 
a word. 

In five minutes more, she was scouring, with Emily, over the 
hills. 

" She is rushing on to certain destruction," said Harmer, 
" but I can't help it." 



184 



-Female Life among the Mormons. 



" Well," said Mrs. Beardsley, " we have more dangers and 
difficulties to encounter than any other travellers ever had." 

" Except the. children of Israel, when they journeyed, like us, 
to the Promised Land," said B m. 

"I don't except any one," said Mrs. Beardsley. "It didn't 
rain where they were, and even that Jordan, a little foolish 
river, had to be dried up by a miracle, that they might pass 
over dry-shod. There was not one drowned, like I was, nor 
killed, like poor Mrs. Murray and her children." 

" You didn't get injured, did you ?" inquired the Prophet. 
" And I understood that you lost nothing valuable." 

" Don't you call a great bag of sugar valuable ?" 

" Did you lose such a bag ?" 

To be sure I did. Sugar, too, of the finest quality, that I 
brought along on purpose to sweeten my coffee. And then only 
think of the disadvantage of having everything wet — my chest 
of stockings, all Louisa's little stores. Oh dear !" 

" I hope that it will be made up to you ten-fold ; I will pray 
that it may," and B m walked away. 

Mrs. Beardsley did not look as if she cared much about his 
prayers. 

We halted for dinner on the banks of one of those small 
streams, which look like trenches dug in the prairie. The 
country around us was well timbered, and the air perfumed with 
the scents of innumerable wild flowers. I had long been uneasy 
at the continued absence of Mrs. Bradish, and could conceal my 
apprehensions no longer. 

" Mrs. Bradish is certainly lost or captured," I said. 

"It's trouble of her own seeking, but I pity poor Emily," 
said Harmer. 

" Let some of the men on horseback go out to look for her," 
I suggested. "It will be no more than right, on Emily's 
account, if no other." 



Fears for the Missing Women. 



185 



The name of Emily interested Harmer. 

" Yes," he said, 11 let it be done for Emily's sake." 

" A party of picked volunteers, well armed and mounted, 
started off in pursuit of the fugitives. We had made our even- 
ing encampment before they joined us, and then they brought 
no certain tidings of the women. In a valley, however, about 
five miles distant, a skirmish of some kind had evidently taken 
place. The turf was broken and torn, as if from the violent 
plunging and rearing of horses, and near by they picked up a 
knife that was stained with blood. 

Harmer was nearly frantic, and Louisa wept in uncontrolla- 
ble grief. 

" Well, I knew it would be so," said Mrs. Beardsley. " My 
wonder is, that we hain't all been carried off. I shan't sleep a 
wink to-night." 

" Oh, you're in no danger, not in the least. The Indians 
won't disturb us any more. They've had a grand dance around 
poor Emily's scalp before this time, I'll warrant." 

" Couldn't some of the men go out and try to rescue them ?" 
said Mrs. Stillman. 

" 'Twould be of no ns<3," said Harmer. " The Indians roam 
over thousands of miles of territory. It would be impossible 
to even guess where they might be now." 

" Oh, but you might possibly find them," said Louisa. " Do 
try, do, Mr. Harmer ; have pity upon me. Emily was dear to 
me as one of my own children. Hew can I ever think of giv- 
ing her up so." 

" But, after all," said I, " we do not know of a certainty that 
they have been captured by the Indians. They may have wan- 
dered off and got lost in the woods and interminable pr^ies, 
where some friendly hunter or trapper may mes^ We 
should always hope for the best." 

" Heaven grant that it may be so," said Louisa. 



186 



Female Ltfe among the Mormons. 



" And if such were the case, how much better would it be ?" 
said Mrs. Beardsley. " Xot much, I fancy. They'd certainly 
starve, or be eaten by wild beasts, or " 

" Hold ! mother, hold ! v said Louisa, " Don't torture me with 
such cruel conjectures. The God that notes even the fall of a 
sparrow, must be with them. Nothing can happen to them 
without His permission. He will care for and protect them. 
In Him is my trust." 

"How silly you talk," said Mrs. Beardsley. ..."Don't you 
remember hearing of that poor child, whom the Indians cut into 
quarters, and roasted before its mother's eyes : or that man 
whom they skiuued alive, and who was nine hours dying ?" 

" Oh, Mrs. Beardsley, stop, stop, for heaveu's sake !" 
exclaimed Mr. "Ward, " you will frighten the women out of 
their senses." 

Louisa was weeping' bitterly. Harmer was roaming about 
like one distracted : and that night all was silence and loneliness 
in the camp. 

I watched B m narrowly, and saw that though he evi- 
dently regretted the untoward fortune of Emily, he viewed the 
agonies of Harmer with a malicious pleasure. The next day 
we were agreeably surprised by the arrival of a friendly party 
of Cheyennes. Several of them brought us various esculent 
vegetables ; but Harmer only understood their language. They 
conversed with him some time, and their tones sounded strange 
and wild, harmonizing well with their appearance. The moment 
they left us he came to me, his eye Hashing, and his whole 
appearance bespeaking pleasure and agitation. 

"These Indians tell me," he said, ''that the war-party of the 
Sioux, with the two women, are encamped about ten miles ahead 
on the banks of the Vermilion river. If that is the case, we 
can overhaul them easily to-night." 

" But won't they slip off?" I inquired. 



The Fearless Scout. 



181 



" No. They are waiting for a party of the Crows, who have 
been out on a plundering expedition against the Snakes, and 
who, according to their calculations, will return this way." 

" But great caution will be necessary." 

" Oh, certainly ; indeed I think it will be best to keep the 
matter a profound secret until all our arrangements are made, 
though I wish to consult Mr. Ward and some others ; but don't 
let Randolph know. "We don't want his advice, and that is all 
he will be ready to give." 

The day was already far advanced, and it was decided to 
encamp in a smooth, green valley, which would afford excellent 
pasturage for the stock, and send forward a scout to recon- 
noitre. This task Harmer undertook himself. " If I can only 
save Emily," he murmured. 

"But remember that the liberty of Mrs. Bradish is quite as 
valuable to her friends," said Mr. Ward. 

"I hope to be able to save both," he answered ; and putting 
spurs to his horse, was soon out of sight. 

" Where has Harmer gone ?" inquired Louisa. 

"To see if he can discover any traces of our friends." 

" Bless him for that ; I see he takes an interest in my Emily." 

" I think so, and I trust it may save her from a snare." 

"To what do you allude ?" 

"To B m, the hierarch ; he loves her, too." 

" Impossible ! He has three wives already." 

" And would gladly take a fourth, provided she was young 
and beautiful." 

Louisa's countenance changed, as she said, " Is not this 
horrid custom a dreadful temptation to men ?" 
" It seems to be," I answered. 

" Oh, it is, it is ; it must be," she exclaimed, passionately. 
"And it would certainly kill me if my husband should take 
another wife." 



188 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



Harmer soon returned with the information that the savages 
were there in great numbers, and that the greatest precaution 
would be necessary to avoid a general engagement. Emily was 
tied to a tree, looking more dead than alive. He could not 
perceive that she had suffered any great violence at their hands. 
But Mrs. Bradish was fastened up with a small piece of board 
on her head, at which they were shooting arrows. 

" And did they perceive you V I inquired. 

" No, indeed ; I left my horse tied in a thick grove, two miles 
off, and approached them noiselessly and cautiously on foot. 
They seem to be well-armed and mounted, and we shall proba- 
bly have sharp work." 

u That may be ; at what time to-night will you set out ?" 

" Not until after the moon sets, and the sky becomes dark, 
and the air very still, and then I wish to pick the men, and lead 
the expedition. Wonder if Mrs. Bradish will say any more 
about cowards ?" 

We kept the good news from all but Louisa, and those who 
were to join the enterprise. 



Two hours past midnight, when deep, unbroken silence 
reigned throughout the camp, a party of fifteen, well armed 
and mounted, were observed to emerge silently from the shady 
covert of a willow grove, and disappear almost immediately in 
the thick obscurity of a neighboring valley. Hence they rode in 
silence for several miles, along the smooth bottoms and over the 
grassy hills, till one, who seemed to be the leader, reined his 
steed at the entrance of a grove. 

" We will leave our horses here, and go forward on foot," he 
said, in a voice subdued to a whisper. " The enemy is encamped 
just over the hill yonder. Now, don't speak, nor fire a gun, 



The Re-Capture. 



189 



nor raise the least alarm. They are probably sleeping, and 
should such be the case, we may possibly find an opportunity to 
release their prisoners without giving them any trouble." The 
company dismounted, tethered their horses to the trees, and 
advanced through the forest in the utmost silence. Once they 
were startled by the deep cry of a panther in the distance, and 
once some bird of night, roused from its perch by their pre- 
sence, flew away screaming, otherwise neither sight nor sound 
indicated the existence of an animated being. At length, after 
rising a hill with unusual precaution, Harmer motioned to his 
companions to remain in the background, while he crept steal- 
thily forward. Reconnoitering a moment, he then drew back, 
and beckoned for the others to approach. Cautiously parting 
the tall grass and shrubbery, they obeyed. 

The Indians were all apparently sleeping around the embers 
of a dying fire, their arms stacked, and the prisoners confined in 
the centre. Two or three kegs, either containing, or having 
contained, whisky, were lying about, and appearances seemed 
to indicate that they had been holding a drunken revel. Some 
were lying on their faces, others on their backs, and not a few 
were doubled in apparently uncomfortable postures. The feet 
of some were towards the fire ; the scalp-locks of others were 
evidently in danger of being singed. Once, when a breaking 
shrub made a slight noise, and he came fully into view. 
Harmer perceived one of the women raise her head, and glance 
around. It was a critical moment to him. A scream of 
surprise or pleasure would probably arouse the whole camp, but 
he made a gesture of silence, and sinking down again, she 
evidently communicated the pleasing intelligence to her compa- 
nion. Creeping along the ground like a cat, in the stillest 
possible manner, Harmer reached the Indian who lay stretched 
between himself and the women. One blow with a tomahawk, 
which lay contiguous, cleft through crown and skull, and pene- 



190 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



trating the brain, sent the savage instantaneously to his long 
account. He then cut the thongs which bound the prisoners, 
and assisting them to rise, the three made their way as expedi- 
tiously as possible from the Indian encampment. 

" Harmer, I can't go without my horse," said Mrs. Bradish, 
" he is tied yonder ; I know where, and I must have him." 

" For heaven's sake, hush," said Emily, in a subdued voice, 
though evidently in great alarm. 

"I, at least, shall not go after Mm," said Harmer, in the 
same low tone. " Let her go if she chooses, but the peril will 
be hers. I shall stay with you." 

" Of course, you will," said Mrs. Bradish. " And I desire 
that you should, but you will please inform me of the direction 
in which I can find our company ?" 

" Due east," said Harmer, and Mrs. Bradish was out of 
sight in a moment. 

" That woman is bent on running into danger," said one of 
the party. 

" I shan't concern myself after her, if she gets retaken," said 
Harmer, " and I told her as much." 

■-■ You don't seem to like her very well," said Emily. 
" Well, I don't." 

It is scarcely necessary to repeat that this conversation was 
carried on in whispers, though Emily had assured her compa- 
nions that the savages were too drunk to be easily awakened. 

Hastily retracing their former course, they soon came to 
the grove in which their horses were tied. To loosen and 
mount them was only the work of a moment, and long before 
sunrise they had reached our camp. Mrs. Bradish came in 
about twenty minutes behind them. They were received with 
congratulations. 

" I had a revelation, my dear," said B m to Emily, "that 

you would be restored to us." 



The Buffaloes. 



191 



" Had you, father V 

" Don't call me father, that is not a suitable title." 

E oaily shrunk from his gaze, and Harmer turned away, 
muttering something between his clenched teeth. 

As we had conjectured, they had been overtaken and 
surrounded by the savages, while galloping over the hills. Mrs. 
Bradish, true to her character, refused to surrender at discre- 
tion, and wounded two or three of her assailants. Being 
dressed in a sort of male attire, they were ignorant of her sex, 
and when made aware of it, seemed greatly to admire her 
bravery, saying, in French, " Squaw good shoot ; squaw good 
shoot." 



CHAPTER XXII. 
emily's narrative continued. 

FOR a day or two nothing unusual occurred. We expe- 
rienced the daily routine of emigrant life, little varied in its 
dull monotony, and diversified only by change in natural scenery, 
or incidents whose only charm consists in their novelty. Some- 
times the streams were frequented by flocks of screaming plover, 
and other aquatic birds, while the smooth savannahs on their 
banks teemed with herds of antelope. Sometimes the prairie 
bottoms afforded us a very fair road ; but the long grass actu- 
ally teemed with myriads of mosquitoes and large greenflies 
from which the horses and cattle suffered severely. Generally, 
the weather was pleasant, and the cool breezes were redolent 
with the perfume of a thousand flowers. 

One morning we came unexpectedly on an immense drove of 
buffalo, which were swarming, as far as the eye could reach, over 



192 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



the plains, where they had left scarcely a blade of grass remain- 
ing. In the presence of such a huge mass of animated beings, 
the beholder feels overcome by a strange emotion of grandeur. 
The continuous undulating motion, the dull, confused noise, 
unlike any other, and so admitting no comparison, struck us with 
awe and astonishment. Here a cow, separated a little from the 
others, stood quietly suckling her calf ; there a huge bull would 
be rolling and tumbling in the grass ; and, not far off, clouds of 
dust would prove the existence of an obstinately contested fight. 
Harmer and several others of the company were all exhilaration 
with the idea of a buffalo-hunt ; and, as noon was approaching, 
it was decided to halt, thus affording them an opportunity. 
They did not return so soon as expected, and, as several of our 
oxen took it into their heads to join the herds of buffalo, we 
remained in camp the whole afternoon. Taking advantage of 
the favorable opportunity, I induced Emily to resume her narra- 
tive. 

" My residence with Mrs. Birney would have been very plea- 
sant," she began, " had the good lady been living independent 
of domestics, or had these domestics possessed her genial tem- 
per and kindness of heart. On my first arrival at her house, 
Mrs. Birney had introduced me to the servants, informing them 
that she had adopted me as her daughter, and that she expected 
them to treat me with all the consideration and respect that 
relation would authorize. 

" ' What ! that little thing, there, from the poor-house V said 
Matson, the maid. ' You haven't adopted her V 

" 1 Certainly, I have, 7 said Mrs. Birney ; ' and don't let me 
ever hear an illusion to that poor-house again. 7 

"Matson turned up her nose, and left the room. I saw at 
once, however, that she would be an enemy. Probably she 
dreaded that my influence might supplant hers, in the mind of 
Mrs. Birney. At any rate, her taunts and sneers became the 



The Bitter Taunt. 



193 



torment of my life, and even more intolerable than the perplexi- 
ties I suffered at the poor-house. 

" ' They say you look like your mother, child ; but that ain't 
much credit to you/ she said one day. 

" ' Who says so V I inquired. 

" I still felt a burning, unconquerable desire to know some- 
thing of my parentage. Matson had discovered this, and now it 
was part of her policy to harass and distress me on that score. 

" ' Somebody that know'd,' she answered, sneeringly. 1 Your 
mother was well known in these parts.' 

" ' Who know'd her ? — for mercy's sake, tell me of one.' 

" 1 Oh, I can't call names ; and then her character was so 
bad, nobody would wish to be thought acquainted with her.' 

" ' And what did she ever do V 

"'That ain't telling. I often think, when Mrs. Birney is 
praising your beauty, and prides herself in dressing you so 
finely, that if she looked upon illegitimate children with the 
disgust that I do, she wouldn't have you about her house.' 

" The cruel words of Matson rankling in my heart and fester- 
ing in my brain, I sought the apartment of Mrs. Birney, and, 
walking up to her, requested to know the meaning of ' illegiti- 
mate child.' 

" ' Why, what put that in your head V said the good lady, 
looking' over her spectacles, and regarding me with an expression 
of sweet, yet curious benignity. 

" ' Because Matson says that, if you regarded such children 
as she does, you wouldn't have me about the house.' 

" ' Well, my child, Matson does very wrong to talk so. I 
wish you wouldn't pay any attention to what she says.' 

" ' But I can't help it. She begins to talk of my mother, and 
I long so to hear something about her. Oh ! Mrs. Birney, do 
tell me of my mother. Matson says she was a bad woman, but 

9 



194 Female Life among the Mormons. 



she was my mother ; and maybe her heart was right, after 
all.' 

" Again Mrs. Birney looked up, and her eyes were filled with 
tears. 

" ' I can tell yon all that I know of your mother, but that is 
from hearsay. Are you certain, however, that you wish to 
know V 

" ' Oh ! I do ; I do !' and I clasped my hands, eagerly. 

"'The curiosity of our first parents destroyed their happi- 
ness/ said the kind lady, ' and the knowledge of your mother^ 
fate cannot be other than a bitter legacy.' 

" 1 Not more bitter than this harrowing suspense.' 

" 1 It may serve as a warning, too,' soliloquized the old lady ; 
' " for, beauty provoketh thieves sooner than gold ' then rais- 
ing her eyes, she continued : ' Your mother was very beautiful. 
Like yourself, she inherited that pleasing, yet dangerous gift. 
She was the daughter of a widow, and they lived happily 
together, for many years. At length, a man professing great 
piety came to the neighborhood, and formed an acquaintance 
with the widow and the daughter. The old lady was pleased 
with his manners, and delighted that he preferred her child. He 
proposed marriage, and the offer was joyfully accepted. He 
then induced his betrothed to go with him to the city to pur- 
chase the bridal paraphernalia. There he refused to fulfill his 
engagements, or permit her to return to her mother, but kept 
her locked up in a house, whose inmates were lost to every sense 
of propriety or virtue, and finally left her without saying fare- 
well. Indeed, she knew nothing of his departure, till the 
landlady came to turn her from the house, telling her that the 
gentleman who had paid her board said that he should do so no 
longer, and that she must take care of herself. We can only 
imagine her misery and wretchedness — thus forsaken in a large 



Emily learns Who She Is. 195 

city, without a friend or relative or acquaintance to whom she 
could apply. But then, in that hour of utmost desolation, her 
confidence in heaven did not forsake her ; and rising, without 
saying a word, she went forth into the streets.' 

" Mrs. Birney paused in her narrative, and wiping her eyes, 
said, ' Child, the knowledge of your mother will be a bitter 
legacy.' 

" Choking with emotion I could only articulate, 1 Go on • 
go on.' 

" ' Of course,' continued Mrs. Birney, ' a woman in her condi- 
tion could only think of returning to her mother. She knew 
that the cruel, heartless world would only sneer at her sorrows, 
and insult her misfortunes ; but the mother would receive the 
poor lost wanderer with love and pity. And alone, and on foot, 
in the deep dark night, and through the rain, she started. Her 
strength, however, was inadequate to the successful prosecution 
of such a journey. She fainted by the roadside, and was found 
by a benevolent traveller, who lifted her to his carriage, and 
conveyed her to a neighboring inn. She was found to be 
violently ill, but her agonies were of short duration, and before 
the rise of another day, ' Her spirit had returned to the God 
who gave it." But she lived long enough to rehearse her pitia- 
ble story, and clasp you in her arms, with the request that you 
might be sent with a letter, which she wrote with her dying 
hand, tot her mother. She was buried in the paupers' grave- 
yard, and inquiries made respecting the old lady, her mother. 
It was ascertained that, overcome with grief and anxiety, she 
departed this life on the same day that "her daughter died. 
Her property had passed into the hands of strangers, and you 
were an object of charity.' 

" ' And so they took me to the poor-house ?' 

41 1 They did ; and now, child, one only chance remains for you 
to recognize your father should you ever meet him. 7 



196 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" 1 What is that V 

11 1 That is contained in the letter of which I spoke, and which 
will be placed in your hands when you are of sufficient age to 
understand its import/ 

" ' Oh, that my mother had lived/ I exclaimed, pas- 
sionately. 

" 1 1 will be a mother to you/ said the good lady, embracing 
me. 1 And don't worry or cause yourself unnecessary trouble.' 

" I thanked her for the information she had given me, and 
even felt much happier that now I knew the worst. My mother 
had been the victim of misfortune, not of crime. She was good, 
and beautiful, and innocent, and I could love and revere her 
memory. And so I used to go out by myself, and, seated in 
some solitary place, look far away into the deep blue of heaven, 
and fancy that I could catch a glimpse of the glory there, or a 
faint echo of an immortal harp. Then I would picture to my 
imagination the meeting of those two disembodied spirits who had 
been separated so long on earth ; and many a time, carried away 
by the blissful and indescribable ecstasy, I threw myself on the 
ground, and, weeping tears of adoration and rapture, prayed 
that I might be permitted to join their blissful company. 

" Then, from some source or other, I caught the beautiful idea 
that the spirits of departed relatives watched over and protected 
the living. Since then, it has always seemed that my mother is 
near me, that her presence surrounds me with a holy influence, 
that her breath is on my cheek, and her soft mild eyes looking 
into mine. 

"At length Mrs. Birney became sick. It was spring; and 
the violets were just opening in the meadows, and the wrens 
building their nests in the little boxes which I had prepared for 
them; and the contrast between the pale wan mortal, hastening to 
dissolution, and the virgin freshness and beauty of nature, struck 
me as something inexpressibly painful. One day I made a 



The Lost Will. 



197 



remark to that effect in her presence, she smiled softly and 
sweetly, ' Then you think that dissolution and decay are dread- 
ful things V 

"'Yes; dreadful,' I murmured, hiding my face in the bed- 
clothes. ' Earth is so beautiful, and life so sweet.' 

" ' But we go to a place where the light is a thousand times 
clearer and richer than the sun's,' she said, in a clear ringing 
voice; 'to a land before whose beauties the most glorious scenes 
of earth are tame and insipid. What is this life to that immor- 
tality of blessedness which awaits us there ? Oh ! thanks, 
eternal thanks, be to God who giveth us the victory through our 
Lord Jesus Christ V 

" ' But what will become of me when you die ?' I cried, burst- 
ing into tears. 

" ' I have made ample provision for your support,' she 
answered. 

" ' You will have many friends, or many who will profess to be 
such, but never stray from the path of duty, never for a moment 
forget your God.' 

" And she died ?" 

"'Yes; died like one going to sleep, and I wept over her. 
Oh ! how long and bitterly. Then a strange man came and took 
possession of her effects. I told him that she had left a will. 
He smiled incredulously, and demanded the proof. ' Here in 
this drawer,' I said, going to the bureau. ' Here in this drawer, 
I saw her place it with her own hands.' 

" ' You can look, Miss,' he answered, nodding his head between 
each sentence, ' and if such a thing is found we shall see.' And 
I did look, and search, and rummage, while Matson stood by 
with her provoking tongue and insulting smile. ' Miss Pauper 
has no idea of giving up the title of heiress,' she said, 'but she 
may look till Doomsday and she'll find no will there.' 

" • Matson,' I replied, ' if the will is not here, you have removed 



198 



Female* Life among the Mormons. 



or destroyed it, because you only had the privilege of using the 
keys.' 

" Her face colored to the temples : ' What motive could have 
prompted me to such a deed as that V 

"'Hatred of me; for you have always hated me, though I 
never did you any harm.' 

11 \ That is little to our present purpose,' said the man, ' as the 
will cannot be found, if there ever was one, as the next of kin, 
I am lawfully entitled to take possession; you, Miss, can stay 
here, you can be of service to my wife.' 

" ■ Well, I declare, the heiress sinks to a servant,' said 
Mats on. 

" Without noticing her cruel words, I thanked the man coldly, 
and told him that I would think of it. 

"Mrs. Stillman offered me a home with her, which I gladly 
accepted; but yonder corner Harmer and the hunters, now for a 
supper of game." 



OR several days nothing unusual occurred. The men 



Jj amused themselves with hunting buffalo ; the women with 
the common routine of a camp-life. Those who had babies to 
nurse had their hands full, as many of the juvenile members of 
our company had become sick. Those who had. not, were never 
more disposed to thank Providence for the deprivation than on 
the present occasion. Mrs. Bradish went buzzing about from 
one wagon to another, like a bumble-bee among clover-blossoms; 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS. 




Strange Advice for a Woman to Give. 199 



consequently, she got all the news, and was made acquainted 
with every incident that possessed the least interest. She came 
to our tent one evening, after supper. I was sitting alone, Mr. 
Ward having gone to join a council of the elders. 

" What on earth, Mrs. Ward/ 7 she began, " induces you to 
mope yourself in this manner ? Do you consider yourself 
better, or not so good as the rest, that you shun every- 
body ?" 

" I didn't know that I shunned any one," I answered. 
" Oh, well ; may be you don't I but I've got a good piece of 
news." 

What is it V 

u There's to be a wedding in our company, before long.' 3 
" Who ? Harmer and Emily ?" 

"What a simpleton you are !" she cried, laughing. "No; 

B m wouldn't let that take place." 

" Think not V 

" I know it ; he intends having Emily himself ; and then the 
man of whom I speak has one wife already, but wishes to take 
another — a perfectly reasonable wish." 

" I don't hear anything about spiritual wives, as I used to." 

" Oh, no ; that's done away with. Brother B m had a 

revelation that all true believers should imitate the example of 
the patriarchs, and raise up large families to inherit the good 
land, as well as to be able, at some future day, to go out against 
the heathen." 

" I think polygamy to be an institution of Satan." 

11 On the contrary, I think it an institution peculiarly adapted 
to increase our numbers, and, consequently, our strength. I am 
deeply interested in the prosperity of the church, and so I 
advise every man to take all the wives that he can get." 

" But suppose that you were married ; would you be pleased 
with the idea of having your husband take another wife ?" 



200 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" Oh, as to that, I can't tell. I should probably make a vir- 
tue of necessity." 

" Poor Mrs. Murray died of a broken heart, at the unkindness 
of her husband ; and I doubt not that the wife of this man of 
whom you have been speaking, will nearly go beside herself." 

H Oh, she'll rave, I dare say, for she's spunk to the back- 
bone !" 

" Who is it, anyhow ?" 

11 Mr. Stillman, jr." 

" What ! the husband of Louisa Beardsley V 7 

" Even so ; but you needn't look so dumbfounded about it," 
said Mrs. Bradish, laughing heartily. " He can very well afford 
two, or even three wives. I told - him so, myself. Indeed, I 
rather suspect the match was more than half of my making." 

I nev T er knew, before, what it was to be struck dumb. 

Mrs. Bradish seemed really amused at my astonishment. 

" Why, what is there in it, so dreadful, after all ?" she said. 
" He will continue to love Louisa just as well, or probably better, 
than he does now. You know that a mother dearly loves one 
child, when she has but one ; when the second is born, she loves 
that just as well, though no sane person would suppose that her 
love for the elder was in the least diminished. So a man may 
take a second wife, though loving and reverencing the first one 
with his whole heart." 

" I can see no resemblance between the two cases," I said. 
" The love of a mother for her child, and a husband for his wife 
are very different things." 

" Well, now that polygamy is incorporated in our system, the 
women will have to make the best of it, as it is not likely that 
the husbands, after once tasting its pleasures and benefits, will 
be likely to relinquish it." 

" Does Louisa know ?" 

" I expect not. She has more than once made her brags to 



Trouble in store for Louisa. 



201 



me, that she wasn't one bit afraid that her husband would take 
another wife. I could hardly help laughing, then, at her igno- 
rance of man's nature." 

" Who is the bride to be ?" 

" One of the prettiest little girls imaginable — gay and 
sprightly as a humming-bird — full of life and fun as an egg is 
full of meat." 

" I should hardly think she would suit him, then. He seems 
to be a serious kind of man." 

" Have you never heard of the rule of contraries ?" she 
answered. " Serious people are always charmed with your 
lively, versatile characters. Indeed, he is completely fascinated 
with her. I will tell you how it all came about. We were 
walking together, Mr. Stillman, Fanny, and myself. Fanny 
had been unusually interesting, and I never saw her look so 
beautiful before. Exercise had given unwonted lustre to her 
eyes, and color to her cheeks. The gaze of Stillman followed 
her, and I saw that she was exerting herself to please him. 
When she parted with us, I said : 

" ' Mr. Stillman, what do you think of Fanny ?' 

" 1 Why, I think that she is one of the most fascinating 
women that I ever beheld.' 

"'I believe that she admires you quite as much.' 

" ' Do you, indeed ? why, that is quite tempting. If I wasn r t 
married already, I might profit by such condescension on her 
part.' 

" ' Married, to be sure you are ; but that need make no dif- 
ference. The church sanctions, and even promotes, the practice 
of polygamy. I think that Fanny loves you well enough to be 
happy even as your second wife.' 

" He certainly looked pleased ; then a shadow crossed his 
brow, and he said something, of which I only caught the last 
word, and that was ' Louisa.' 

9* 



202 Female Life among the Mormons. 



" ' If Louisa has the strength of mind, and the good sense 
that I give her credit for, she will see the expediency and right- 
eousness of the measure.' 

" He shook his head, and said nothing. 

" ' Louisa/ I continued, ' seems to be done bearing children. 
She should imitate the examples of Leah and Rachel, who, under 
the same circumstances, implored their husband to take other 
partners, in order, thereby, to raise up a numerous progeny.' 

" Mr. Stillman was too deeply absorbed in thought to 
answer, and I left him, to have a talk with Fanny. 

" ' Fanny,' said I, ' Mr. Stillman is in love with you.' 

" ' In love with me, delightful,' said Fanny, clasping her 

hands, ■ I made a dead set at our Prophet B m, but little 

Emily yonder cut me out, though I know that she hates the old 
fellow like poison.' 

" 1 Well now, Fanny, to be serious, do you really like Mr. 
Stillman well enough to become his wife, his second wife, for 
you know that he has another V 

" 1 As to that,' said Fanny, 'I concluded a month since that 
if I ever married, it would be as a second wife.' 

" ' Indeed, and what led you to that sage conclusion V 

" 1 Selfish conclusion, you might have said,' she answered, 
' but little experience as I have had in the world, I am very 
well convinced that no man would be satisfied with one wife, 
where custom sanctioned the possession of two. Now it must 
be excessively mortifying to the first wife to have another 
brought in to share her empire and honors, and no less satisfac- 
tory must it be to the vanity of the second, to find herself pre- 
ferred to that station. Then only think how jealous the first 
wife must be, while that very jealousy would be a matter of 
amusement to the second, as a tacit acknowledgment of her suc- 
cessful rivalship, and, consequently, superior charms.' 

" ' I see, Fanny, that you wouldn't refuse the addresses of Mr. 



The Painful Discovery. 



203 



Stillinan, and I think that he would make a very good 
match.' 

" 'I think so too, and then it would be fun alive to plague that 
proud wife of his. I always like to see your stiff, haughty 
things humiliated. Why, Louisa actually insulted me to my 
face the other day.' 

" ' How so V I inquired. 

" 1 Oh, it don't matter,' said Fanny, 1 but I thought then that 
I'd get the better of her. Oh, 'twill be too good ;' and she 
laughed and danced about like the very impersonation of mis- 
chief." 

" And is it possible that you could encourage the match under 
these circumstances ?" said I to Mrs. Bradish. " It will render 
Louisa, your friend, miserable for life, and I confess my inability 
• to perceive who is likely to be reudered happier thereby." 

" We don't expect happiness in this world, and whether or 
not we enjoy it in the next, depends on the self-denial we prac- 
tise here," said Mrs. Bradish ; and she walked away. 

Several days passed away, and I heard no more about the 
wedding. I had observed, however, that Mr. Stillinan and 
Fanny were frequently together, on which occasions, Fanny 
would invariably contrive to pass where Louisa could not help 
but see them. At length Mrs. Bradish came to me one day. 

" She 's found it all out," said the lady. 

" Who ? found out what ?" I answered. 

" Louisa, I mean, has discovered that her husband is about 
taking another wife." 
" I could only sigh." 

"You take it solemnly yet, and so did she, poor thing; 
Fanny, the rogue, rather overdid her part. In order that her 
triumph over Louisa might be complete, she told Margaret 
Snuff that Mr. Stillman sought her hand, and that she had pro- 
mised to give him a decisive answer that evening. As Fanny 



204 Female Life among the Mormons. 

anticipated, Margaret carried the news to Louisa, whose heart 
was already burning with hate and jealousy." 

"'They had better take care,' said Louisa, looking like a 
thunder-cloud, 'Fan Simpkins is a little too mean and con- 
temptible for anything ; if my husband had chosen a respectable 

woman I might ' ; but she did not finish the sentence. 

Under any circumstances, the idea of her husband possessing 
another wife would have driven her nearly to distraction. 

u And knowing this, as you did, Mrs. Bradish, how coald you 
advise her husband to take another V } 

" Because the happiness of an individual, especially when that 
happiness depends on a wrong estimate of the relative and social 
duties and privileges of life, sinks into comparative nothingness 
when compared with the prosperity and well-being of the 
Church." 

" Oh, Mrs. Bradish, 1 can't bear to hear you argue in that 
manner, said I, it seems cruel and heartless." 

" When the wagons halted at noon, it occurred to me that I 
had better call on Louisa, and if she mentioned the circum- 
stance, endeavor to reconcile her to the match," she continued. 

" Louisa was preparing dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Stillman, sen. 
Mrs. Beardsley and the children were beside her. She barely 
saluted me, and her eyes had such a wild, staring, ghostly 
expression, that I was half frightened." 

" 1 Where is Mr Stillman V I inquired, by way of breaking the 
ice, ' I see that he is not of your party.' 

" ' We see very little of him now,' said Mrs. Beardsley, snap- 
ping her knitting needles, and black eyes at the same time. 

" 'Well, it's too bad,' said Mrs. Stillman, sen., ' I'd no idea 
that so steady a man, and admirable husband, would ever give 
way to such a doctrine of devils.' 

" 'It's too bad,' echoed the old man, 'but as to its being a 
doctrine of devils, I don't know about that.' 



The Mischief Maker. 



205 



" For the first time in twenty years the old gentleman had 
ventured to disagree in opinion with his wife ; no wonder that 
her astonishment precluded a rebuke. 

"'To what do you allude V I inquired, in pretended ignorance. 

" ' Fan Simpkins, that despicable creature,' said Louisa, ' has 
betrayed my husband/ and that was all she could say; yet she 
didn't weep, didn't cry, nor sob, nor moan, but looked at her 
children like one demented" 

" I don't know how you could have the heart to witness her 
misery, I said." 

" ' It's just as I told Louisa it would be,' continued Mrs. 
Beardsley, ' her husband was no better than other men, but she 
wouldn't believe me ; said he was too much attached to her, and 
so on ; men, however, are all alike.' 

"'Not exactly, neither,' said Mrs. Stillman, sen., 'grandpapa 
here, wouldn't think of wanting a young wife, would you, dear V 

" ' Oh, I reckon not ;' but there was a tone of indecision in his 
voice that forcibly struck me, and I mentally exclaimed, 

" Before a twelvemonth we shall see." 

" ' I tell Louisa,' continued Mrs. Beardsley, ' that now the 
worst has come to the worst — she'll have to make the best of it. 
If she'd took my advice in the first place.' — 

" ' But as it is, Mrs. Beardsley, it will work round for the best. 
We have the promise, and Louisa should not be so selfish as to 
refuse sharing the blessings of a good husband with a sister in 
the faith,' said I. ' We have no reason to suppose that Mr. 
Stillman has experienced any diminution of affection for her, 
though he finds it to be his duty to contribute more effectually 
to the prosperity of the church by contracting another connec- 
tion.' 

" Louisa moved round mechanically like one in a trance. I saw 
that some settled purpose had taken possession of her mind, 
though of its nature I had no definite idea. Mr. Stillman came 



206 



Female Life among tee Mormons. 



up just as the two families were finishing their dinner. He 
seemed unusually merry, joked his mother about her cap, told 
Mrs. Beardsley that he had just made the acquaintance of a 
smart widower ; asked Louisa what was the matter, that she had 
advanced ten years at least in age during the past two days. 
No one seemed to partake his hilarity, however, neither was 
any allusion made in my presence to his approaching nuptials." 

Here Mr. Ward came up and told us that the scouts had 
descried an encampment of Indians a few miles ahead, but whe- 
ther friends or foes remained undecided. 

" And it don't make much difference which," said Mrs. Bra- 
dish. " Indians and buffaloes are the poetry of camp life." 

The rumor that Indians were about excited no little agitation 
among the women. Usually gay groups of girls and children 
were out walking beside the wagons, or running over the mea- 
dows to botanize, or gathering pebbles and geological specimens 
from the hill-sides, or bottoms of the streams. 

" Oh ! dear Lord !" cried one. " Indians round, and my gals 
out walking. They'll be captivated — I know they will." 

Another one, catching her sun-bonnet in her hand, ran a few 
paces from the wagons, and then stopping suddenly screamed, 
" Indians ! Indians !" with all her might. Then, running on a 
short distance further, again stopped, and again brought her 
voice iuto requisition. The young people heard her (indeed she 
could easily have been heard a mile), and came flocking to the 
wagons like a bevy of young partridges, just as we discerned 
some dark-looking objects sweeping over the hills at some dis- 
tance. There was an abundance of fresh horse-tracks, and 
several carcases of buffaloes, from which the valued parts liad 
been removed, were lying about. We went on quickly aud 
cautiously, Harmer, and the other horsemen, in advance, with 
loaded rifles. In a few minutes more the Indians were rapidly 
approaching on their half- wild horses. At first there did not 



Two of a Trade can't agree. 



207 



appear to be more than twenty-five or thirty, but group after 
group darted into view on the tops of the hills, till all the emin- 
ences seemed in motion, and in a few minutes, three or four 
hundred were scouring over the plains. They certainly looked 
picturesque, adorned with paint and feathers, and the manes and 
tails of their horses nearly sweeping the ground. Harmer and 
his companions had levelled their rifles, and I was expecting to 
see a general, and, perhaps, bloody engagement, when Buckley 
recognized, and addressed the chief in his own language. The 
savage seemed astonished, and, swerving his horse a little, 
passed by at full speed ; then wheeled, and checking his steed, 
returned Buckley's salutation. They proved to be a Pawnee 
village, among whom Buckley had resided some time as a tra- 
der. We were soon in the midst of the band, and as several of 
our company understood something of their language, the con- 
versation became general and exceedingly animated. The chief 
pointed out to us his village at some distance on our right, and 
showed us a herd of buffalo, just discernible, like a dark streak 
on the horizon, which he said they were going to surround. 
They had been making a large circuit in order to avoid giving 
the animals an alarm, when they discovered our approach. In 
ten or fifteen minutes the women came galloping up on their 
horses ; they followed the men to assist in cutting and carrying 
the buffalo meat. As the wind was blowing very strong and 
fresh, the chief modestly requested us to halt, as he feared 
that we might raise the herd. We therefore stopped ; the men 
dismounted, and, as the night was rapidly approaching, it was 
proposed to form an encampment. One of the elders interfered 
to prevent this, saying that he had a revelation that we were in 

danger from the Indians. Here B m interposed that the 

saints were always in danger, but that it had been revealed to 
him that no harm should befall them on the present occasion, 
and so it was decided to remain. 



208 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



Meanwhile, the Indians were busily engaged in the work of 
destruction. Having separated into two bodies, one party pro- 
ceeded directly across the prairie towards the hills, in an 
extended line, while the other went off in an opposite direction, 
and instantly the chase commenced. The buffalo started for the 
hills, but were intercepted, and driven back, where they met the 
hunters approaching from the opposite direction. Clouds of 
dust soon covered the whole scene, preventing us from having 
other than an occasional view. At length the whole scene 
faded in the distance, and I turned away to busy myself in the 
domestic affair of preparing supper. 

During my culinary operations Louisa Stillman came in, and, 
seating herself on a low chair, bowed mournfully with her face 
on her hands. 

" You are in trouble, Mrs. Stillman ?" said I. 

" I am," she answered. " A trouble of which I never dreamed, 
deep, horrible and awful, has come upon me." 

I could find no words in which to console or sympathize with 
her, and so remained silent. 

" Mrs. Ward," she said, "I have come to ask a favor of you 
— a very great favor. You are not one of them, and hence I 
have confidence that you must feel for me." 

" Indeed I do sympathize with you, Mrs. Stillman," I answered. 

" I knew — I knew it ! and so I have come to you." 

" In what way can I assist you," I inquired. 

" They tell me," she answered, " that my husband and Fan. 
Simpkins meet to-night to appoint a day for their marriage. 
Certain it is, that they are to meet in that little grove of pop- 
lars yonder. Now I wish to know the worst. This suspense is 
more dreadful than the blackest reality, and so I have come 
to ask you to accompany me to a place of concealment near by, 
where I can hear their conversation, and be made acquainted 
with their schemes." 



The Listeners. 



209 



" But, Mrs. Stillman," I began, for my naind rather recoiled 
from so dishonorable an act as private listening, " is there no 
other way by which your curiosity could be satisfied ?" 

"No other, no other," she replied, bitterly. "Nothing else 
will satisfy me. I must know what he says — what he says to 
her — yes, to her." 

" And then ?" 

" If he loves me no longer," — she hesitated, and her counte- 
nance assumed an expression that was frightful to behold. 

" Well, Mrs. Stillman, I can go with you, if you so earnestly 
desire it, though I am doubtful whether the knowledge thus 
obtained will conduce to your happiness." 

" It cannot add to my misery ; then, too, I shall be relieved 
from this torturing suspense." 

Tears sprang to my eyes. 

" And Mrs. Bradish," she continued, " my old and valued 
friend, through whose persuasion and influence we were induced 
to emigrate, advised my husband to this step. That seems the 
cruelest of all." 

" It is cruel," said I, " and how any woman can have the 
heart to look with such cool indifference on the miseries of 
another, is a mystery to me." 

Supper was soon ready, but Louisa refused to eat, saying 
that she had no appetite. Mr. Ward endeavored to entertain 
us with some Indian anecdotes, but no one manifested any incli- 
nation to support the conversation, and so we relapsed into 
a gloomy silence. 

At length the supper was over, the children put to bed, and 
the usual arrangements made for the night, when I informed Mr. 
Ward that I wished to go out. He consented, only requesting 
me not to be long absent. 

Louisa took my arm, and we went out The deep shadows of 
evening lay over the camp, whose large white tents and white 



210 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



covered wagons presented a strange and unique appearance. 
" This way," whispered Louisa " we can pass along here with- 
out being observed." 

We descended into a deep, yet narrow hollow, probably fifty 
yards from the camp, and, following it for a short distance, came 
suddenly to the rear of a poplar grove. Concealing ourselves 
behind a huge tree, which the tempest had overturned, we pre- 
pared to await the approach of the lovers. We were not neces- 
sitated to wait long. Steps were heard approachiDg, then a 
light merry laugh burst on our tears, accompanied by words like 
the following : " Oh, fie, you don't expect me to believe that 
you, who have been a married man these ten years ?" 

Louisa trembled like a leaf. 

" Well, what of that ?" said a voice that I knew to be Still- 
man's. 

" What of it ? sure enough. You try to make out that my 
presence is necessary to your happiness. Haven't you never been 
happy ? Your wife is beautiful, gentle, and loving. You have 
fine children. Can't you be happy with them, and without me f?f 

" Fanny," returned her companion, "how can you doubt my 
love ? Ever since I first saw you — ever since I first thought of 
you, you have been my world, my heaven ; your presence to me 
was what the sun is to the earth, and all is void and darkness 
without you. For your love, I would sacrifice my life, — I would 
change my very nature, if possible, if thereby I could render 
myself more agreeable to you. Wife, children, friends are noth- 
ing, nothing in comparison with your love." 

I shuddered at these words, so deeply, coldly cruel, and 
fraught with such horrible treason against an innocent and lov- 
ing family ; but Louisa uttered one wild, thrilling scream, and 
fell over with her face to the earth. That scream ! — I could 
never describe it ; it was unlike any other human sound that I 
ever heard. It seemed the utterance of a long pent, unspeaka- 



The Yoice of Nature will be Heard. 211 

ble agony ; the wail of a heart bowed and broken in utter 
despair. No wonder that the lovers started from their seats ; 
and, turning round, Mr. Stillman beheld me and his prostrate 
wife. 

" What's all this mean ?" he said, in an angry voice. 

" It means that your unpardonable levity has murdered your 
wife," I answered. 

" And has my wife so far forgot herself as to act the eaves- 
dropper ?" he replied, tartly. 

" Let's leave these pleasant people to enjoy the discovery 
they have made," said Fan, taking hold of his arm. 

Mr. Stillman was turning away, when I called to him to stop. 
" Your wife, here, requires assistance," said I ; " Do you prefer 
that vain, haughty, coquettish thing, to the mother of your 
children ?" He turned round, looking somewhat abashed. 
Louisa had not yet risen from the ground, but lay in a death- 
like swoon. I raised her head on my lap, loosened her gar- 
ments, and chafed her burning hands. At length she opened 
her eyes, like one just awaking from a horrible dream. Still- 
man had approached, and was bending over her, his broad 
bosom heaving with emotion, while Fanny stood, with a mock- 
ing curl on her lips, a few paces distant. " Is it you, my hus- 
band ?" she said, faintly. " I dreamed that you had deserted 
me — that you no longer loved me. It is not so, is it ? — say, 
dearest ?" 

" Oh ! no, no !" said the miserable man, groaning with 
agony. 

"You know," continued Louisa, "that we have not been 
married a great many years, and yet how happy we have always 
been, in our old home, there beside the beautiful lake, where lit- 
tle Ada was born and died? Methinks I see it now, with its 
beautiful green lawn and maple woods, intersected by well-worn 
paths ? Don't you remember it, my husband ?" 



212 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" Yes, yes !" 

" And how sick I was, and how you watched over me, night 
after night, fearing, as you said, that I would die ; then all your 
care and tenderness when I began to recover. Oh ! my hus- 
band, I have not forgotten it." 

There was a sound marvellously like weeping. 

"Mr. Stillman," said Fanny, haughtily, "is it your pleasure 
to return V 

Louisa caught the words ; half rising, she cried impetuously, 
" Leave us, leave him ! you vile, wicked creature f and then 
she continued talking to her husband, and calling up the memory 
of old times. " I know I was not worthy of such love and ten- 
derness as you lavished upon me — that I was impetuous and 
passionate, and sometimes found fault without occasion, and I 
well know that I am plain, with very few of good looks to 
recommend me. I am not so bright and talented as some, and 
I am no longer young, and yet I loved you, my husband, with 
my whole heart and soul. I never knew what love, or life, or 
happiness was till I beheld you, and you have been the sum 
total of my world for years and years. There are many women 
far more beautiful, and rich, and gifted, yet they couldn't, they 
wouldn't love you as I have done." 

He bent over her drooping form ; it was too dark to discern 
clearly, but I fancied that their lips met. 

" I often thought that I wasn't good enough for you, and yet 
I studied to make your home happy, and be to you all that a 
wife could be, and you were happy and satisfied with me, my 
husband ; were you not ?" 

" I was, I was ; Heaven knows that I was," he answered. 
" And we will be happy again. Fanny can never be to me 
what you have been, though her beauty pleased my fancy, and 
my vanity was excited by her preference ; and then that woman, 
your friend, Louisa, advised me to take another wife." 



Fond Hearts Re-United. 21 B 

" I know it, I know it," said Louisa. " Heaven grant that I 
may find it in my heart to forgive her." 

I looked around for Fanny ; she was gone. 

" I cannot live to see you married to another," she said. 
"No, my husband, kill me outright ere you do this. It would 
be a mercy, a blessing to relieve me from such unspeakable 
misery." 

" Well, you never shall see it," he answered, seriously. " No, 
my wife, I have done wrong, have been weak, and silly, and 
foolish, but they told me that you wouldn't care, that you cared 
nothing particular about me, and I suffered myself to be 
tempted and deceived." 

Louisa still held him fast in her arms. 

" And those cruel words you were saying," she whispered. 

" What were they ? I forget," he said. " I have been drunk, 
fascinated, intoxicated with a wild, unholy passion, but your 
words have recalled me to reason. The illusion has vanished. 
I find in your love something real and tangible, something that 
I never will sacrifice to a mere passing fancy for another 
woman, come what will." 

" I blame myself more than you," continued Louisa ; " blame 
myself that I ever consented to emigrate with this people, 
knowing their habits of polygamy as I did, and knowing, too, 
that I could never live to see you married to another. The 
idea of that is infinitely more painful to me than poverty or 
want could ever be. But I loved you so deeply, and placed 
such great confidence in your love for me, that I never dreamed 
such a thing could possibly occur. Oh ! my husband, I judged 
you by myself, fancying that it would be quite as impossible for 
you to love another, as it would be for me." 

Stillman was deeply affected. He had loved his wife with all 
the tenderness of which his heart was susceptible. They had 
lived very happily together, and now that her words had 



214 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



recalled the memory of the past, he felt how much and how 
deeply he had wronged her. 

"I feel that I have wronged you, grievously wronged you," 
he said, his cheeks wet with tears, and his bosom heaving with 
deep emotions. " I ought never to have thought of marrying 
again, because, however right it might be to possess two wives, if 
it had been distinctly understood by all parties beforehand that 
such was to be the case, no man should insult a first wife, whom 
he had married with an express understanding, 1 to keep himself 
to her, and to her alone,' by introducing a second to share her 
privileges and honors. I now see just where I stood," he con- 
tinued ; " and now, my dear wife, I love you better than before, 
better than I ever did. Put that love to the test ; there is 
nothing that I will not cheerfully undergo to satisfy you ; 
nothing that I will not promise as a recompense for the pain I 
have given you. Bid me swear that I will never again speak to 
Fanny, or propose marriage under any circumstances, to any 
woman whatever, and I will take the oath, nor ever break it 
while I draw the breath of life." 

He threw himself at her feet as he spoke ; I felt, I knew that 
he must be sincere. 

Louisa embraced him tenderly, and took his hands within her 
own. " Oh ! my husband," she said, u you make me too happy, 
too happy ; you are, then, mine, and mine alone. And this is 
all that I as"k of you : promise me, that while I live, you will 
never marry another ; that you will always remain in deed and 
thought true to me." 

He did as she bade him, and then, arm in arm and heart to 
heart, they sat in the cool shadows in all the blessedness of 
re-vivified affection. 

Feeling that my presence might possibly be a constraint, I left 
them, and stole back to our camp alone and unnoticed, yet with 
a sensation of happiness altogether indescribable. 



The Disappointed Match-Maker. 



215 



I found Mrs. Bradish conversing with Mr. Ward. She had 
been informing him of the wedding likely to take place through 
her auspices. " Why, bless my heart !" she exclaimed when I 
entered, " why, you look as if you had just come from a 
wedding. What remarkably pleasant thing has happened ?" 

" I have come from a scene better than any wedding," I 
replied ; " the reconciliation of husband and wife. Louisa, 
your friend," I continued, addressing Mrs. Bradish, "is a 
happier woman to-night than she has been recently." 

" Explain yourself," said the lady. 

"I mean just what I say, that Louisa Stillman is a happy 
woman, and than Fan Simpkins may die an old maid. And 
that I am so delighted to think the abominable match is 
broken off." 

" Broken off! Fan Simpkins' match broken off, when I pro- 
posed and advised it ! Pray, Mrs. Ward, whose influence has 
interfered to prevent the consummation of my wishes ?" 

" Divine Providence, I believe, that opened Mr. Stillman's 
eyes to the heinousness of the crime be w r as about to commit." 

" Pshaw ! in two days' time he will change his mind. Fan 
can manage him, I'll warrant." 

"On the contrary, Mrs. Bradish, he has taken a solemn oath 
never to marry another woman while Louisa lives ; I was a 
witness to it." 

Mrs. Bradish shook her head and murmured, "We shall see" 



216 Female Life among the Mormons. 



CHAPTER XXIY. 



LOVE IN THE "WILDERNESS. 



OYE in a wilderness — flirtations in a camp — how agreeably 



§ J they diversify the monotony of a long journey. A courtship 
carried on among Indians and buffalo — on the banks of rivers, 
at the feet of mountains, and in the bosom of rolling prairies — 
possesses, at least, the charm of novelty. So thought Harmer 
and Emily. And then it seemed so natural — so like the birds 
and gazelles — to love under such circumstances. What heart 
could avoid it ? they could not. When their cosy " tete-a-tete " 
was interrupted by some plumed and painted Indian, what could 
be more natural than for him to throw his arms about her, or 
for her to cling to him for protection? When the elders had 
retired to their tents, and the watch to their station, what 
could be more natural than for them to seek a cosy retreat 
beside a pile of burning embers, and whisper the soft nonsense, 
which, however silly to the lookers-on, is extremely interesting to 
all parties concerned ? 

"Come, Emily," said Harmer, "come sit down here by the 
fire. The brethren have finished their discussion on theology, 
and the old ladies their pipes and snuff." 

Emily rather hesitated. The young man threw his arm 
around her, and drew her towards him. 
" Come, I want to tell you something." 
Emily suffered his embrace, and the whisper sounded marvel- 
ously like a kiss. 




Courting by the Camp-Fire 



217 



" Oh, Emily," he continued, passionately, " why do you keep 
me in suspense ? Have I not sworn to renounce all my former 
tastes and habits and inclinations, because my wandering life was 
disagreeable to you ? Have I not consented to make any sacri- 
fice which you can demand ? What more can you ask ? You 
certainly cannot doubt my sincerity ?" 

" I have no doubts of your sincerity," said Emily. " Whew ! 
what a shower of ashes and she sprang from the arms of her 
lover. The wind, suddenly changing, had blown a hurricane of 
sparks and ashes over them. Harmer quickly followed, and 
both took a position to leeward. 

" What were you saying, love ?" 

" That I hiid no doubts of your sincerity, so far as the present 
time is concerned ; but your mind may change — that is what I 
fear. My husband must be domestic — I should moan and 
grieve, and perhaps die in his absence ; and you — you have 
become so deeply attached to a pioneer life, it seems to me 
impossible that you should ever settle down and be contented." 

" Because you depreciate your influence, my love," he 
answered. " Oh, you can make me anything — anything. Your 
power over me has something of the miraculous in it. Say that 
you will be mine. Oh, say Confound the ashes !" 

Emily burst out laughing ; for the wind, having veered again, 
sent another shower of ashes and sparks directly in their faces. 
Again they found it necessary to change their positions ; and, 
being comfortably seated, resumed the conversation. 

"I am not rich," said Harmer; "I have neither gold nor 
silver nor fine houses. I can offer you nothing better than a 
hunter's lodge, at least till we get our farms cleared, and our 
dwellings made in that fine country to which we are journeying • 
and yet, Emily, the homeliest dwelling with love, is preferable 
to a palace without." 

Emily sighed. 

10 



218 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



"Pardon me, Emily," he said, "but I have something on my 
mind which I must tell you. Two of the men were talking of 
you to-day." 

"Of me ! what did they say of me ?" 

" Be patient, and you shall hear. They said that B m, 

our leader, was enamored of you ; ,that you hated and despised 
him ; but, notwithstanding this, you had consented to become 
his wife, for the consideration and importance that station would 
give you, as he had promised to exalt you above the others, 
something like chief sultana in the Turkish harems." 

Emily laughed outright. " A very fine story," she said, 
" most admirably contrived. But were they the counsellors of 
the Prophet, or how were they made acquainted with his private 
affairs ?" 

" Emily, it grieves me exceedingly to see you turn such a 
serious affair into mirth." 

Emily laughed still louder. " There's nothing serious about 
it ; those fellows made it all up as they went along. Chief sul- 
tana, indeed — how ridiculous." 

" But hasn't B m ever sought your hand ?" 

" Oh, he has paid me much attention— has offered me several 
presents, though I always refused to accept them — has invited 
me to ride with him, and otherwise manifested a partiality for my 
company, though he never made a formal proposal for my hand." 

" And, suppose that he had ?" 

" Well, suppose it." 

" Would you have accepted him ?" 

" Pshaw ! Mr. Harmer, you are not a priest, and this would 
make a strange confessional. Heigho." 

A gust of smoke filled the atmosphere with insalubrious soot 
and vapor. 

"But I want to know," said Harmer, "whether you would 
marry B m, or not ?" 



A True Woman. 



219 



" Fie ! Mr. Harmer, you are getting jealous." 

Harmer looked as if going into a fit of sulks. Emily had a 
spice of the coquette in her disposition. She dearly loved to 
tease and vex her lover ; but she was fond of him, after all. She 
would tantalize him until he got angry, and then caress and coax 
him into good-humor. 

"How, don't get mad," she said, when his brow began to 
lower. " Don't get mad, and I will tell you all about it." 

The gallant ranger slipped his arm familiarly around her 
waist. 

" Now, what will you tell me ?" 

" That nothing on earth should ever induce me to marry that 
man, who has three wives already." 
Harmer clasped her in his arms. 

" Stay ; I have not done speaking yet," said Emily. " 1 
should fear to marry any man among the Mormons ; because, in 
a few years, or perhaps months, he would weary of me and take 
another wife — that is something I couldn't bear." 

" And you fear this of me ?" said Harmer. 

" Of you, of every man, who lives in a state of society where 
polygamy is admissible." 

" Oh ! Emily, then you doubt my love." 

" Not exactly, but many men, and might we not say with pro- 
priety, that all men have a passion for variety ? Your love for 
me to-day, is no proof of what may be the state of your feelings 
in years to come. Urge me not ; I will be your sister, your 
friend, anything with honor that you wish me to be, except your 
wife, and that is impossible under the present circumstances." 

" And your objection is, because you fear that some time 
hence, I might fancy that another wife would increase my happi- 
ness ?" 

" Even so," and Emily hid her face in his bosom. 

" Well, I love you ten times better for it, after all," said the 



220 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



manly ranger, " ten times better. You want your husband to be 
all your own. You have no idea of sharing his caresses and 
affections with a rival. You are a true woman, and your 
woman's heart is worth possessing. Look up, love, and I will 
tell you what we can do. 7 ' 

Emily looked up, smiling through her tears. 

"We shall soon be at our journey's end," he said. " When 
we have crossed those dark mountains which appear in the 
horizon, we shall enter the borders of the Promised Land. You 
know, love, that polygamy belongs essentially to the Mormon 
system, so we will leave the Mormons ; we will go back to those 
States, where the laws have made bigamy a capital offence. 
There you can have no fears on that account." 

" What ! and travel this long distance over again." 

" You object, then," said Harmer ; " you do not love me." 

"Be reasonable," returned Emily, " many things are to be 
/ taken into consideration. I have not objected ; neither do I 

give an unqualified assent." 

Harmer was a fine specimen of the Western Ranger, tall, 
stout-built, and athletic ; accustomed to severe exercise, and 
passionately fond of buffalo-hunting and life on the prairie. He 
had never dreamed of love until the fair Emily crossed his path. 
At first, he thought her wondrously beautiful, and gazed upon 
her with much the same sensations as he gazed upon a beautiful 
bird or flower. This could not last, however, and long before 
he w r as aware of the true nature of his feelings, his eyes were 
for ever wandering off in search of Emily, and he experienced in 
her presence a new and indefinable emotion of bliss. 

Emily could not be insensible to his preference, and her heart 
soon became deeply interested in the handsome Ranger, yet she 
remembered the fate of her mother, and took good care that her 
passions should alway remain subservient to reason and judgment. 

" I can't possibly perceive what objection you can have to 



She Would and She Wouldn't. 



221 



returning with me to the settlements," continued Harmer, " I 
think you told me that Mr. and Mrs. Stillman are not your 
parents." 

" They are not my parents. 

" You were an orphan, then ?" 

" Yes ; an orphan." 

11 And inclined to die an old maid ?" 

" Now you are getting silly again." 
No such thing ; you refuse to marry in the Mormon country, 
but at the same time prefer to remain in it; what else can I 
make of it, only that you wish to die an old maid ?" 

"You misapprehend me altogether," said Emily, "but it 
makes very little difference. I trust we shall always be very 
good friends." 

" Friends I" echoed Harmer. " Emily, is that all ?" 

Again she buried her face in his bosom. Dearly as she loved 
Harmer — and she did love him dearly, she almost feared to 
entrust her happiness to his keeping. Life on the prairies had 
little charms for her. Could she be coutented in a hunter's 
lodge, living in Indian style, with none of the luxuries and very 
few of the comforts of civilization. Sleeping on skins, dressed 
in the rudest manner, feeding on roots and roasted buffalo-meat, 
a companion for female savages, and cut off from all intercourse 
with her race ? Even for love, she could not consent to all this; 
true, he had promised to abandon his border life, but then the 
query arose, would he be happy and contented under such a 
change of habits ? would her society console him permanently 
for the loss of all those pleasures, incident to a life of wild roving 
independence, and the spirit-stirring scenes of border strife ? 
Would he not become wearied with the dull monotony of toil 
and agriculture ? and would it not be her miserable fate to pine 
over his absence, or witness his dissatisfaction and discontent ? 
Eull of these thoughts, it is not at all surprising that she was 



222 Female Life among the Mormons. 



never ready to return a decided answer to his suit, or that she 
mentally ejaculated times without number,. " Oh ! I love the 
man, but not his way of life. Had he been some farmer's son, 
had he been brought up in entire ignorance of Indians and 
buffaloes, how happy we might have been." 

By this time the fire had all burned out. There was neither 
coals nor living embers. Emily proposed retiring. 

" Not yet, Emily," answered the lover. " I am so happy 
when near you, that I never wish to be absent for a moment. 
I love you so truly — oh ! so truly — there is something so extra- 
ordinary and unexpected in my attachment, that it seems impos- 
sible that you should doubt its fervor and lasting nature." 

* And perhaps," said Emily, though her heart belied what 
she was about to utter, " perhaps you have breathed the same 
vows to another before you saw me." 

" Oh ! Emily, how you wrong me ; me, who scarcely ever 
spoke to a woman, and certainly cared no more for them than 
for female buffaloes." 

" A true hunter's simile," said Emily, laughing. 

" I never knew the language by which men of the world 
address the objects of their love," said Harmer. "I am utterly 
ignorant of all fine talking, and what I say my heart dictates; 
my words may be uncouth, or inexpressive, or unsuitable; yet 
they are, they must be sincere. Oh !• believe me, Emily, I 
would lay down my life to make you happy." 

" I do not doubt you," whispered Emily, "but a shower is 
rising, even now it begins to rain. Let me go to the tent." 

" And you will meet me again to-morrow night ?" 

" Guess so." 

And after kissing her hand, her arm, her neck, her bosom, 
and her eyes, he suffered her to depart. 



The Power op the Will. 



223 



CHAPTER XXY. 
a wife's trouble. 

¥E rested several days in the neighborhood of some sylvan 
bluffs lying along the outskirts of a dark range of moun- 
tains. Rest had become actually necessary to preserve the lives 
of our weared and jaded animals. Some of these had already 
died from fatigue and over-exertion, others had been killed for 
food, a few had strayed, and several had been stolen ; so that 
our original number was greatly diminished. Some of the 
women, and many of the children, were sick, or rather worn out 
by the toils and fatigues incident to a long journey. Mrs. Bra- 
dish, however, was lively and active as at first. " She didn't 
want rest, not she ; she would much prefer going on. If people 
would only be resolute, and make up their minds not to become 
sick and wearied, they never would become so." 

" And do you suppose that if they were to make up their 
minds not to die, that they would live for ever ?" 

" That's quite another thing, and yet I believe that conceit 
has killed many a one. It requires the exercise of a strong will 
to be sure, but I have certainly performed many marvellous 
cures on myself, without the intervention of a drop of medicine. 
You need not laugh, the disease was actual and real, and so was 
the cure." 

" What were the diseases ?" 

" Cough, fever, dysentery, and such like." 

I could scarcely refrain from laughing. 



2.24 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" You cured these diseases by the simple exercise of a strong 
will," I said. 

"-Yes ; and working them off." 
"Working them off?' 7 

"To be sure ; there is nothing remarkable in that. You 
know that I had servants, and consequently was not necessi- 
tated to ever lift a finger in any kind of toil, but when I discovered 
that my health was suffering, I went right straight at the har- 
dest kind of work, washed, scrubbed, worked in the garden, and 
all such things, keeping my will firm and resolute meanwhile, 
that I would not be sick, and in this way I always recovered ; 
and it was much better, too, than to sit in idleness, and swallow 
doses of nauseous medicine." 

" To be sure it was." 

" I think now that if all these sick and complaining ones 
would just resolve to go on steadily, they could do so as well as 
not. Why, I have come as far as any, and my strength hasn't 
failed as I can perceive." 

" Mrs. Beardsley is very ill," I remarked. 

" And Fan has made a dead set at Mr. Stillman, sen.," said 
Mrs. Bradish laughing. " She's determined to have one or the 
other." 

" Impossible !" 

" Why is it impossible ? To me it seems very natural. Fan 
declares that she won't die an old maid, and that she won't 
marry any man who has not another wife." 

" A strange taste truly." 

" Oh ! she gives the best of reasons." 

" I should like to hear them." 

"Well, she is a kind of coquette, you know, and she thinks it 
must be delightful to triumph over a first wife. I suppose she 
will esteem it a great achievement to make a conquest of that 
old man." 



Blissful Ignorance. 



225 



" Very like ; and yet what an abominable disposition." 
Mrs. Bradish laughed. 

" You will persist in viewing things according to the old stan- 
dard," she said. 

" I hope and pray that Fan will be disappointed again, but 
what does poor old Mrs. Stillman say ?" 

" Oh ! I can't tell half that she said, nor which felt the worst, 
she or Louisa." 

"But how did it come about pray ?" 

"Why, Fan, of course, was mortified at her failure in secur- 
ing Mr. Stillman, jun., not that she loved him, or cared any- 
thing about his affections, but she longed to humiliate Louisa, 
who she conceived had insulted her. She was outrageous at the 
result of Stillmau's meeting with his wife in the grove that 
night, but swallowing her disappointment with admirably- 
affected indifference, she secretly vowed revenge. I inquired 
what she was up to, but she shook her head and laughed. You 
know how excessively fond the old man, Stillman, has been of 
his wife." 

" He has always appeared fond of her." 

'•'I always doubt such demonstrations of affection," said Mrs. 
Bradish. " The old man is really too weak and silly to feel 
much attachment for any one. Did you ever observe how he 
always echoes the old woman's words V 1 

11 1 have observed it." 

"Wasn't it ridiculous ? Yet the silly old coot couldn't think 
of anything himself ; and never was a husband so decidedly hen- 
pecked, and at the same time in such blissful ignorance of it, as 
this same gentleman. It was a common talk everywhere and 
with everybody, that \ his wife wore the breeches/' but he stre- 
nuously denied it, affirming that he always did on all occasions 
just as he pleased." 

" ' But papa is pleased to act in accordance with my wishes/ 

10* 



226 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



she would say complacently. * Papa is aware that I always 
advise him for the best.' 4 She always advises for the best,' 
the old man would answer, and no one ventured to dispute it. 
But if a man went there to purchase a cow, a horse, or, in fact 
anything, 'mother' must be consulted about the bargain. If 
any cash was wanted, 'mother' must be requested to get it, 
as she only knew where it was kept. If he went out of an even- 
ing, ' mother' must be informed where he is going, and just how 
long he would be gone, but the idea of his having a secret would 
have driven her at once into strong hysterics. I told Fan 
something about the old fellow's habit of subservience to his 
wife, and it tickled her amazingly. ' You know,' she said, 
1 that these silly old wretches are always excessively vain. I 
see a way to manage him famously, but won't the old woman 
explode, won't she blow up. I declare it's too good. The very 
thought half kills me.' 

" 'May be you'll get jilted again,' I remarked. 

" ' Let me alone for that,' she answered laughing. 

"A short time after this," continued Mrs. Bradish, "I called 
on the Stillmans, and found that something unusual had occur- 
red. Louisa, though so recently reconciled to her husband, was 
weeping violently. Old Mrs. Stillman looked indescribably, and 
Mrs. Beardsley was thanking her stars that she had no man to 
be worried about. They refused to admit me to their confi- 
dence, however, and I soon bade them adieu, and seeking Fan, 
demanded to know what new mischief she had been perpetrat- 
ing. Her eyes sparkled with malice and pleasure, as she 
answered : 

" 'I have been sending that old fellow a billet-doux. The 
first that he ever received in his life, I presume. Probably the 
old lady has got on the track of it,' and she shook with suppres 
sed laughter. 

"I was really astonished at her boldness. 



Snake Indians and their Captive. 



22t 



" ' Oh, you needn't look surprised ; it was admirable, I assure 
you — filled with love from top to bottom. I copied it from a 
book ; here it is,' and she drew a small volume from her pocket. 
J That one there, with the leaf turned down. Don't you think 
the old fellow's eyes snapped when he read it V 

" 1 Shouldn't wonder, I replied/ perusing the precious epistle, 
which ended by asking an interview. 

" ' I knew,' said Fan, ' that the old booby wouldn't have any 
chance to write an answer. He says they watch him as cats 
watch a mouse.' 

" ' You have had some conversation with him already, then V 

" 1 Oh yes : we have met several times,' she answered, ' and I 
have petted and caressed him till his head is fairly turned. Was 
there ever a man that could resist a woman's caresses V " 

" Well, Mrs. Bradish, whatever you may think of it, to me it 
seems abominable ; and a system of religion that tolerates and 
even approves such conduct, must be in the highest degree 
impure." 

" It all depends on getting used to it," said Mrs. Bradish, 
" in the patriarchal age, the conduct of Fanny would have been 
considered virtuous. Witness that of Ruth. In these times, 
however, when the law, and public opinion both conspire to 
indulge women in their ridiculous habits of jealousy, the case is 
different. In Turkey, no woman considers herself slighted or 
insulted because her husband chooses to take another com- 
panion ; but yonder comes a party of Indians." 

" Perhaps some of your old acquaintances." 

" I rather guess not," she answered, " but I mean to go and 
have a talk with the chief." 

They proved to be a war party of the Snakes, but what 
chiefly interested us was a beautiful Arapahce girl, whom they 
had taken captive, and whom they expressed a determination 
to sacrifice. The poor creature had evidently been treated with 



228 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



the greatest rudeness, and huge scars on her back and limbs 
bore testimony to the violence and cruelty of her captors. They 
acted sulky, and we had occasion to suspect that they met with 
unusual losses. All our party sympathized deeply with the poor 
girl, and we endeavored to buy her ransom of the chief. 

" Why, you haven't got nothing that a warrior wants w he 
said, " these, and these," pointing to the mules and horses, £e auft 
worth nothing." 

We then offered him some tobacco and blankets, but he 
steadfastly refused, saying that they were accustomed to annu- 
ally immolate a human victim to their deity, and that they must 
keep the girl for that purpose. 

Emily, who had learned a few words of the Indian tongue, 
drew near the sufferer and commenced a conversation, partly 
oral, partly by signs. They presented a beautiful tableaux, 
these two girls, each a representative of a race. The time is 
night, the emigrant wagons and animals are in the back-ground. 
A bright fire of logs is burning, just outside a row of tents, and 
beyond gathers the party of plumed and painted savages. On 
the other side is a group of white hunters, leaning on their fire- 
locks, with several large hounds crouching at their feet. 
Between the two stand the girls, Emily robed in the habiliments 
of civilization, her bright eyes sparkling, and every feature 
betraying unusual and sympathetic interest ; while the young 
Indian, nearly nude, displays her wounded arms and graceful 
figure to the best advantage, and though perfectly conscious of 
the horrible fate that awaits her, remembers likewise that the 
blood of warriors is in her veins, and comports herself with the 
dignity of a princess. 

She informed Emily that her people had slain many of the 
Snakes, who came upon them suddenly; that she, the daughter 
of the chief, was captured while out gathering Yampah roots for 
food, that she expected to die, but would not weep, ** No, Eth- 



Attempts at Ransom. 



229 



leen will sing the death song of the brave, and her fathers will 
welcome her to the happy island of the blest/' she said. 

" Bat you would rather live," said Emily, with tears in her 
eyes, "It is dreadful to die so young." 

" Ethleen will sing the death song of. the brave," she said 
with a dignified aspect." 

Mrs. Bradish, who deeply admired heroism, was much struck 
with her manners and appearance. 

"I say chief," she exclaimed, advancing to the foremost 
savage, whose one lock of hair was decorated with the feathers 
of the war eagle, while from a belt around his waist two or 
three bloody scalps were dangling. 

" I say chief, that you must give this girl to me." 

The chief shook his head, " Good squaw, can't." 

" But you must," said Mrs. Bradish, " see here," and she dis- 
played before him a keg of the fire-water. 

The chief touched it contemptuously with his foot, "ugh." 

She then brought forth a quantity of glittering beads and 
trinkets, and even added her valuable watch to the store of 
baubles; but the Indian was not to be seduced from his first 
resolution, and manifestly regarded her tempting treasures with 
the indifference of a stoic. 

At length, wearied and disgusted with his resolute bearing, 
she abandoned the field with the determination to continue some 
scheme to rescue the prisoner by stratagem. 

Indian women are, generally speaking, far uglier than the 
men. In many cases they are likewise more savage and barbar- 
ous. Ethleen, however, had a Spanish look, and appeared 
lovely even to civilized eyes. Mrs. Bradish sought the Prophet. 
She wished, for particular reasons, to obtain his approbation. 
The stately hierarch condescended to inform her, that it had 
been revealed to him, that the Indian maiden was worthy of 
rescue. She then summoned old Buckley, and a young man 



230 Female Life among the Mormons. 



named Charley Moore, and the three retired behind the tents 
for consultation. The Indians, meanwhile, after receiving 
various presents, departed with their captive. 



CHAPTER XXYI. 

AN UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER. 

HT WONDER what that woman is up to now," said Mr. 

J_ Ward, as he saw Mrs. Bradish coming and going among 
the tents. " I hope she isn't laying a plan to embroil us with 
the Indians." 

" She would hardly do that," I answered ; " and yet I 
suspect that she designs to form some scheme by which to extri- 
cate that Indian girl." 

" She will hardly attempt so insane a project as that." 

" There is no knowing." 

" At any rate, I shall use my influence to prevent anything 
of the kind," said Mr. Ward ; " I will go immediately to 
discourage it," and he left the tent. 

He had been absent but a few minutes when Louisa entered. 
Her face was swollen with weeping, and she appeared exces- 
sively agitated. I readily conjectured the cause of her sorrow, 
and bringing a chair, invited her to be seated. 

H I have not time really, Mrs. Ward," she answered ; "I am 
looking for mother Stillman. Have you seen anything of her ?" 

I replied in the negative, and inquired how long she had been 
absent. 

" For some time, and father is really concerned about her, as 
she is not in the habit of going out without his knowledge." 



The Intercepted Letter. 



231 



" It strikes me that her absence may be connected with the 
affair of Fan Simpkins. Had you not thought of it ?" 

"No,'' said Louisa. How dumb I am ; but here is a letter 
that Fan sent to father, and which I verily believe will afford a 
clue to the whole mystery. Here it is, I found it in mother's 
reticule, though I have no idea that father has ever seen it." 

" Well, what is it V> 

" It appoints an interview for this evening, by the spring, at 
the foot of the Bluff. Now, I shouldn't wonder in the least if 
mother had gone down there, with the idea of personating her 
husband, or chastising Fan." 

"But would she venture out, when the Indians were around." 

" It's a great chance if she ever thought of the Indians at all, 
she was so deeply agitated with passionate jealousy. However, 
if you will accompany me, we will go down to the spring, and 
see what is going on." 

" Do you think it would be expedient under the circum- 
stances ?" 

" Certainly ; the Indians have all departed." 
" But wouldn't it be better to inform your husband or 
father ?" 

Louisa shook her head. " I think mother would prefer that 
they knew nothing of the circumstance." 

" Suppose, then, that I call Mr. Ward, I would prefer to 
have company." 

But Louisa persisted that there was no danger, and in com- 
pliance with her urgent solicitations, I consented to accompany 
her. The spring possessed a remarkable character, being 
apparently imbedded in a large, smooth rock, about fifteen 
yards in diameter, where the water was bubbling and boiling up 
in the midst of a white incrustation, with which it had covered 
a portion of the rock. The rock was overhung by currant 
bushes, which bore an abundance of half-ripened fruit, while a 



232 



Female Life amoxg the Mormons. 



great variety of chenopodiaceous shrubs were in the immediate 
neighborhood. The air was fragrant with a variety of sweet- 
scented blossoms, but the duskiness of the evening, and my 
apprehensions of an Indian ambush, prevented my enjoying the 
beautiful scene. I expected each moment to see a dusky warrior 
start from the shrubbery that environed our path, or to hear 
the horrid war-whoop re-echoing over the hills. 

" Hush ! hark !" said Louisa, " what was that ?" 

We both paused to listen, our hearts beating audibly. 

" Murder ! murder ! help ! help V 9 cried a voice, that we 
recognized as belonging to a woman. 

il What shall we do ?" said Louisa. 

il Why, go on to be sure," for now that the first excitement 
was over, I began to be ashamed of my weakness. The moon 
had just risen, and a flood of silvery light came pouring down 
upon us, just as we entered the little cove, in which the spring- 
was embosomed. The sounds still continued, screams, and 
trampling of feet. As we came nearer the words became 
clearly distinct, and we plainly heard a ringing sound of blows. 
11 Oh ! I'll give it to you, you hussy ; I'll teach you to be teas- 
ing my man, and making appointments for him to meet you." 

" 'Tis mother," whispered Louisa. 

"I guess so." 

As we came nearer, the combatants became visible, and such 
a scene, it would be impossible to depict its ludicrous effect. 
Mrs. Stillman, partially disguised in a long, black cloak, with a 
black handkerchief tied over her head, was laying a huge raw- 
hide with no trifling effect over Fan Simpkins's shoulders, 
interspersing her castigation with much spicy advice. Fan was 
kicking, struggling, and shrieking, but the old lady, who was a 
powerful woman, and a tiger when roused, held her safely by 
one arm. Neither noticed our approach, or that in their 
rencontre, they had advanced to the very edge of the basin of 



Fan catches a Tartar. 



233 



the spring. Fan was the first to perceive their situation, and 
springing suddenly forward towards her castigator, she precipi- 
tated Mrs. Stillman with great force into the water. 

"JSTow, lie there and drown, old devil, and then I'll have yonr 
man without any difficulty," and Fan shrieked with a wild, 
savage laugh, and turned away. 

This movement brought us into full view. " So you've come 
after the old jade. Well, its lucky ; for I wouldn't lift a finger 
to keep her from drowning," and she passed on. 

Mrs. Stillman was certainly more frightened than hurt, but 
the good lady, though an admirable housewife, and well skilled 
in the various branches of domestic economy, was entirely igno- 
rant of hydropathy, or that sublime science which finds in wet 
sheets and bathing-tubs a sovereign panacea for all the ills that 
flesh is heir to. She had always entertained a mortal horror of 
getting wet ; a damp stocking or apron would give her tooth- 
ache or rheumatism for, at least, a fortnight. No wonder then 
that her surprise and consternation at finding herself thus sud- 
denly engulfed in the spring, actually took her breath for a 
time, though her head and feet were both out of the water, 
being supported on either side of the rock. Her cloak and 
mask had fallen off in the melee, though she still retained her 
lash in a death-like grasp. 

" I don't know how we shall get her out," said Louisa, in a 
voice that slightly trembled, as I thought, with suppressed 
laughter. For my own part, I could scarcely restrain my 
risible propensities. 

" I gave it to her, didn't I?" said the old woman, opening her 
eyes. " She'll remember it one while, I'll bet." 

" I shouldn't wonder if you did, too," said Louisa. " But, 
mother, how are we to get you out ?" 

" I don't know." 

" Can't you help yourself a little ?" inquired Louisa. 



234 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



Owing to the positiou in which she lay, with her back in the 
spring, it seemed impossible either for her to raise herself or for 
us to assist her to rise. The least movement might precipitate 
her extremities into the water, and we were utterly ignorant of 
the depth of the liquid element. 

" Here, take hold of my hands," she said, extending her arms. 
"I think you can easily pull me out." 

We grasped her hands, and partially lifted her out, when, by 
some mischance or another, Louisa let go her hold, and the 
frightened woman fell back, and this time with her feet and all 
her person in the water. Her clothes, however, buoyed her up, 
and, after an infinite amount of floundering, splashing, and tos- 
sing about, she succeeded, with our assistance, in establishing 
herself on terra firma. 

" Oh, dear, I've catched my death this night," she said, pant- 
ing with the unwonted exertion. " Fan Simpkins, the wretch, 
to plunge me in there so." 

"Bat, mother," said Louisa, '''what on earth could induce 
you to wander off here, alone, too ? 

" Don't you never ask," said Mrs. Stillman ; " but, deary me, 
I can't walk with all these wet clothes hanging about me." 

" Let us wring the water out," said Louisa, and, stooping 
down, we wrung the moisture from her garments. 

"That wicked wretch," Fan Simpkins, that wicked wretch; 
it's her what's brought me into this trouble." 

" 2s ever mind her," said Louisa. 

" Never mind her, indeed ! think I'm going to put up with 
such impudence, and have my .husband cajoled and persuaded 
into bad practices, before my eyes ?" 

" Who are these ?" said Louisa. 

As she spoke, three horsemen emerged into view from the 
broad shadow of the cottonwood grove, and, without noticing 
us, struck off across the plain, at the foot of the hills. 



The Beau Ideal. 



235 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

A NEW CHARACTER. 

THIS morning our camp was thrown into unusual excite- 
ment, by the absence of Mrs. Bradish, Buckley, and 
Charley Moore. Charley was a young man, about twenty-two 
years old, and the very beau ideal of a western ranger. When 
very young, he accompanied his father on various trapping 
expeditions into the Indian country and no one in our company 
was better acquainted with the manners, habits, and language 
of the aborigines. Then, too, Charley possessed all the accom- 
plishments of a thorough-bred hunter, which, though widely dif- 
ferent, are quite as diversified and various as those of a Broad- 
way gent. If the latter must understand the exact manner of 
twirling a cane, or curling a moustache, the former must "carry 
his rifle with a peculiar grace, and be able, at a moment's warn- 
ing, to bring down a deer or mount a wild horse. Both are 
dressed in the extreme of fashion, but, in the one case the mate- 
rials are broadcloth and velvet ; in the other, they consist of a 
rich abundance of furs and moccasins, wide trowsers, and a 
blanket worn like a Mexican cloak. Both are fond of orna- 
ments — one of rings, chains, and glittering bijouterie ; the other 
of dirks, long knives and pistols thrust into a wide belt. One 
is enamored with splendid rooms, gorgeous furniture, and chan- 
deliers brilliant with light and beauty ; the other exults in a 
cosy nook among the rocks, with the everlasting mountains cov- 



236 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



ered with primeval forests, mingling with the starry heavens 
above him, and dimly reflected by the blazing camp-fire at his 
feet. Both are fond of adventures — the one of breaking inno- 
cent hearts, and betraying the artless, confiding youth of the 
weak and unsuspecting ; the other of fording rivers, climbing 
mountains, peering over precipices, hunting grizzly bears, or 
racing with Indians. One is heartless, deceitful, hypocritical ; 
a lord of soaps and essences and lavender ; a connoisseur of 
gloves and neck-ties, an arbiter of dimples, and a leader of riot 
and dissipation. The other is an unsophisticated ' child of 
nature, bold, ardent, daring and honest. He is generous, for 
he will share his last morsel with a stranger. He will be the 
first to volunteer assistance for the weak and oppressed, and 
the last to give up an undertaking in which duty and honor are 
involved. He never forsakes a friend, never takes undue advan- 
tage of an enemy, never betrays the confidence of youth and 
innocence, and never wrongs the aged. Such was Charley 
Moore ; a hero in the estimation of his companions, and very 
generally known and beloved by the Indians. For even these 
savages can appreciate, as they always applaud, the nobler vir- 
tues of heroism, truth, and honesty. Born and bred in frontier 
life, accustomed to the spirit-stirring scenes of the chase, and 
passionately fond of all wild adventures, he had never found 
time to even dream of love. Though it is true that, in his 
calmer moments, a yearning -for something, dearer and sweeter 
than he had known, would come over his spirit, and his bosom 
would heave and thrill with emotions he found it vain to attempt 
to analyze. Then he thought of his mother ; but he had never 
seen her. Though he could remember a little sister, with loving 
blue eyes and flaxen ringlets ; and how he used to gather all 
sorts of childish treasures for her, how he never wearied cf 
her society, and with what pleasure he administered to her 
wants. Oh, the charm of gentleness, and how it tames man 7 3 



Fraternal Love. 



23? 



rugged nature. Of all the world of memory crowded into the 
life of this strong man, of all the daring adventures he had 
known and witnessed, of all the scenes of excitement, and blood, 
and strife in which he had borne a part, his mind only loved the 
thought of that gentle sister, so mild in her soft, sad, spiritual 
beauty ; and when. the past came back, with its thronging 
images, it was hers, and hers alone, that he waved to stay. 

How well he remembered when she died ! He was but a boy ; 
and yet boys have strong affections ; and how often the passions 
of that youthful period cicatrize the heart with scars that are 
never erased ! They were several miles from civilized settle- 
ments — their hut had been the lodge of an Indian ; it was cold 
and uncomfortable, but he selected the nicest and softest skins 
for her couch, and then erected a sort of frame-work over the 
bed, on which he hung for curtains the clothes and blankets they 
had obtained from the traders ; and having heard his father 
tell of the comforts and luxuries of civilization, he induced a 
kind-hearted Indian female to stay with her, while he departed 
to obtain such necessaries as he fancied her invalid state 
required. With a delicate perception, remarkable in one of his 
age and habits, he brought for the sick child the identical articles 
that a skillful and experienced physician would have dictated. 
— Tea, sugar, oranges, confectionery, crackers, and a pillow — 
yes, a pillow — soft, warm and downy, with a white, snowy cov- 
ering. 

" What is this for ?" said the invalid child, lifting her eyes, 
now grown so large and bright, to his face. 

" It's a cushion for your dear head," he answered. " Raise 
up a little — there — now, ain't that nice and soft ?" 

" Oh, it is !" she said, '• it is," as her head, with its super- 
abundance of soft, shiny hair, half buried itself in the downy 
mass. And then when he displayed his other treasures, and 
their purpose, she did not weep, she did not even smile, but an 



238 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



expression of unutterable thankfulness, and love, and gratitude, 
illumined her features ; and raising herself half up, she kissed 
him so tenderly and fervently, that the look and the kiss 
remained with him to his dying day. 

And side by side with this, was the memory of her death in 
his mind — her death, so long looked for, and of which she was 
accustomed to speak with such tranquillity, that it awakened 
in him only the emotion of a gentle sorrow — a mild regret — 
altogether different from a passionate explosion of grief. One 
day, he was sitting, as usual, in the soft sunlight, by the door of 
their hut, when she called, in a voice so faint, so low and spirit- 
ual, that he rose, half-frightened, and went to her bed. Her 
eyes looked larger and brighter than ever, but her countenance 
had a pale and worn expression, that struck him as something 
new. 

" I have lain here a great while," she said in a whisper. 

" Yes, my sister,"*he answered, smoothing down the wealth of 
shiniug curls, and adjusting the pillow. 

" Well, I sha'n't remain long, not much longer," she answered. 
"I am going to die ; did you know it ?" and a bright smile of 
intelligence flitted over her innocent face. 

" I feared so," said the boy, half-choking with emotion. 

" I used to think I might perhaps get well, and go out with 
you to play with the lambs, and gather flowers, when the spring 
came asrain ; but I know better now," she continued, "for last 
night I saw my mother." 

" You did?" said Charles, drying his eyes; "how did she 
look ?" 

" Very beautiful, with such a sweet face." 

" How was it — how was it ? Tell me just how it was, and 
why she came to you," he replied eagerly. 

" Well," said the child, " I thought I was lying here sick, just 
as I am now, and that, though my eyes were shut, I knew that 



A Childish Vision. 



239 



some one was hovering over me. Then I looked, and oh, such a 
pair of soft, mild eyes— so large and deep, and fraught with 
such an expression of love and tenderness ! It was not like any- 
thing I had ever seen ; her face, too, didn't look like earthly 
faces ; and a soft, ethereal radiance seemed ever beaming from 
it, with a warmth that came right down here, into my heart." 

" Did she say anything ?" inquired Charley, with boyish curi- 
osity. 

" She didn't talk as we do," said the child, " and her voice 
did not sound like a human voice, but so much sweeter and plea- 
santer ; and though she didn't tell me so, I knew right away 
that she was our mother, and that I was going to her very 
soon ; and I felt, beyond a doubt, that all must be happiness 
where she is." 

" I wished I knew what kind of a place it is," said the boy, in 
his straightforward manner ; " and whether there be birds, and 
flowers, and sunshine there — whether they hunt beaver and buf- 
falo, and sail over a beautiful lake, in canoes that can't overset, 
as the old Indian told me." 

" I don't think that," said the invalid child ; " mother didn't 
look that way." 

" How then ?" 

She shook her head. 

" Can't you tell me ?" 

Again she shook her head. 

" I wish mother would come to me, too," said Charley ; " I 
always wanted to see her." 

" You are going to her, a little, every day," whispered the 
invalid. 

" Oh, that I might go when you do !" he said, and burst into 
a passionate fit of weeping. " I shall be all alone then," he con- 
tinued—no mother, no sister 1" 

" But you will have a mother and a sister both," said the girl, 



240 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



with wonderful energy. " We shall only be a little way off; and 
sometimes, nay, often, we shall be with, and around you. I 

believe that mother has often been with me." * 

Again the curiosity of the boy was aroused, and he exclaimed, 
wonderingly, " You do V 1 

" Yes ; because I have felt a thousand times, when I thought 
of my mother, just such a happiness as I felt last night, when 
looking at her, and when she was breathing over me. And now, 
Charley." she continued, after a moment's pause, " I want you 
to lie down by me, for I feel very cold." 

Charley hesitated. He had a faint perception that the cold 
of which she spoke betokened the presence of death. 

" Oh ! do, Charley," she exclaimed, lifting her soft, suppli- 
cating eyes to his face; "indeed, I shan't trouble you much 
longer. Lay down here by my side, and clasp me in your arms. 
I am cold and my heart is heavy." 

Charley hesitated no longer. He laid his head beside hers on 
the pillow, wound his arms arouud her, but half shrunk from her 
cold clammy lips that met his forehead, in a last embrace. 

"Xow, be still," she whispered, "for I want to sleep." 

And they lay very still, that brother and sister : he listening 
to her low breathing, and thinking of all she had been saying, 
until he finally fell asleep. 

And they both slept, but wrapped in a different slumber. He 
dreamed of heaven and his mother ; and she — who shall depict 
the forms of imperishable beauty, the strains of unimaginable 
harmony, and the glorious reality of blessedness, that burst on 
her disembodied spirit ? 

The father had been out attending to his traps. Ha was a 
morose, unsociable kind of man, though good-hearted and fond 
of his children. He found the dead cradled on the bosom of the 
living — the blooming cheek of life pressed closely to the pallid 
one of death ! 



Santa Fe Traders. 



241 



Was it a fancied resemblance to his sister, in Ethleeu, that 
excited the sympathy of the youthful hunter, and determined 
him to attempt her rescue ? It matters not. He was young, 
ardent, and excitable. She in her simple grace and beauty 
exceeded in lovable qualities many a damsel whose skin was 
fairer. He pitied and then admired her, and who is not aware 
that pity and admiration are near akin to love ? 

While waiting their return, we were somewhat alarmed by the 
appearance in our camp of a large party of Spaniards, Mexicans, 
and Frenchmen. They proved to be Santa Fe traders, who 
were making their annual peregrination through the country for 
the purpose of hunting, trapping, and purchasing furs from the 
Indians. They seemed a wild-looking set, talking a strange 
language, or rather a mingled dialect of four or five languages, 
and were accompanied by a number of Indian women, their 
wives as I supposed. They were all well mounted and armed, 
but several of the company appeared to be suffering from recent 
wounds. Their leader was a trapper noted in the West, and the 
horse he rode, and which he had named Charlemagne, was almost 
equally famous. It may not be generally known, and yet it is 
no less true, that many of these western trappers with their 
steeds and rifles, are quite as distinguished among their compeers, 
as, according to romance, the knights of chivalry were in the 
times of old. 

B m, our Prophet, came forth to meet and talk theology 

with the visitors, attended as usual by a large concourse of the 
elders and deacons. He informed the traders that we were 
journeying to the Promised Land, that our course through the 
day was directed by the revelation which he received in the 
night, and that with every step of our progress the power of 
the devil grew less and less. 
. " Stranger," returned the leading trapper, " as for the devil, 

11 



242 Female Life among the Mormons. 

I don't know anything about Tiiui, though I have often thought 
that if such a being existed at all, he must be an Indian." 

The Prophet shook his head, " You know," he said, " that 
Christ is to live and reign on the earth a thousand years. 

" I don't know any such thing," said the trapper. 

"Well, we know it, and so we are journeying from the land 
of the heathen, to establish a kingdom of the saints, and build a 
city in which righteousness shall dwell." 

It was very evident that the thoughts of our visitors were 
much more interested in hunting expeditions, than with religious 
affairs, and the listlessness of their demeanor told their indiffe- 
rence to this strange homily. 

They asked many questions, and among the rest, " Whence „ 
^ve came ?" 

B m pointed with his fingers to the* various points of the 

compass, and then proceeded to explain, that converts to the 
faith were coming in from all parts of the world. That Asia 
and the islands in the sea had received the good news, and 
would soon send a multitude of proselytes. " We shall have 
the greatest kingdom in the world, and a city that will be more 
glorious than all others," he exclaimed fervently. " And we 
shall increase abundantly, and eat the fat of the land. Our 
wives shall be fruitful vines, and our children like olive plants." 

The women listened apparently with far deeper interest than 
the men. They mingled among us, examining our clothes, jewels, 
and domestic appurtenances with a strange mixture of surprise 
and curiosity. As I understand French, we had little difficulty 
in conversing, and so while the elders were discussing theology 
with the men, we readily entered into conversation with the 
women. They wEre greatly surprised on learning that a husband 
among us was permitted to marry all the wives he could get, 
and one of them expressed her eagerness to get away, for fear 



Anxiety for the Absent. 



243 



that if her husband heard of such a practice, he would follow 
it. 

" And what would you do in such a case ?" I inquired. 

She drew a small glittering stiletto, and imitated the motion 
of stabbing with it. From her I learned, that they were only 
the advance guard of a large company, who were travelling 
much in the manner of an Asiatic caravan. 



CHAPTER XXYIII. 



THE fugitives. 



E soon began to experience the deepest concern for the 
fate of Mrs. Bradish, and her companions. We could 
not for a moment doubt the object of the enterprise, but their 
prolonged absence filled our minds with apprehension and dread. 
It was proposed to send a party to look for them, but this Har- 
mer steadfastly refused. 

We were in a hostile country, surrounded by Indians and 
Mexicans of murderous habits, and, consistent with our own 
safety, could not diminish the number of our available men, by 
dispatching a party on such a wild-goose chase among the 
mountains. So he argued, and the more cautious and prudent, 
coincided with him. 

" Charley Moore is a brave fellow, and can handle a rifle, 
break in a wild horse, and shoot a buffalo as skillfully as any 
man living, yet he is not so prudent as he will be when he gets 
twenty more years over his head," said Mr. Ward. " The 
enterprise was a dangerous one, but Mrs. Bradish seems actually 
fond of danger. I never knew such a woman." 

"She certainly is brave to rashness," replied Harrner, "and, 




244 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



yet I don't like her. I don't like to see a woman affect the 
manners of a man," and he glanced towards Emily. 

" Then you conceive cowardice to be a feminine accomplish- 
ment," she remarked, provokingiy, "I shan't agree with yon there. 
Nothing disgusts me so much as the silly habit some females 
acquire, of always being frightened at everything, and generally 
speaking, the fright is proportionate to the weakness and insig- 
nificance of the object. Thus a bug, a spider, or a worm, is 
quite sufficient to throw such delicate specimens of effeminacy 
into hysterics." 

" I contend for a medium," said Harmer, laughing, " I do not 
admire bravery in a woman, yet cowardice is shameful in either 
women or men." 

" Cowardice is shameful, and bravery not admirable, I am 
incapable of understanding the paradox." 

" Well, I admire bravery on all occasions, and in in either 
sex," said Mr. Ward, "It is one of the noblest qualifications, 
when conjoined with prudence, which I regret to say is not 
always the case with the lady of whom we were conversing." 

" I have been expecting all along that she would be out hunt- 
ing buffalo," I remarked. 

" Well, it would be fine pastime," said Emily, " I have been 
thinking how the stag-hunting English ladies would delight in it. 5 ' 

" Suppose you go out with me some day," said Harmer. 

Emily shook her head, and said that she had not a trained 
hunter, " and then I should forfeit your good opinion by my 
boldness," she continued. 

" And would you esteem that a very great loss V he inquired. 

" How can you ask." 

" Because I wished to know." 

" Well, your answer must be that I decline to hunt." 
" But not to walk," he continued, " There are some beautiful 
specimens of helianthi and a great variety of other wild-flowers 



A New Flora's Interpreter. 



245 



down in the valley yonder ; suppose we go and gather some, 
you are a botanist, and shall read me their language." 

Emily smiled, "a hunter and trapper of the west, talking 
about the language of flowers." 

" And why not ? — the hunters and trappers of the far west 
have an eye and a soul that can perceive and appreciate the 
beautiful ; but come along." 

"Mrs. Ward, you go too," said Emily. 

Harmer looked rather displeased at this proposal, "Well, 
you go on, and I'll come presently," I answered, and they slowly 
walked away. 

Agreeably to my promise, I placed a sun-bonnet on my head 
and followed. When I, came up with them, Emily was holding 
an arm-load of flowering plants, from which Harmer was arrang- 
ing a bouquet, while connecting a sentiment with each blossom,, 
that, whether appropriate to the flower or not, was, doubtless, 
indicative of the feelings with which he regarded his companion. 

" Oh, it is too ridiculous," said Emily, as I approached, " you 
ought to hear the sentiments Mr. Harmer attaches to these 
blossoms. This ammole (soap-plant) he says is indicative of my 
_ love, — is all grace, beauty and cleanliness. And this beautiful 
blue flowering lupine means, according to him, that my love is 
without spot or blemish." 

" As Flora's interpreter, his sentiments are quite original, and 
very appropriate," I remarked. 

" Oh, certainly, and this," she inquired, holding up a large 
poppy of a rich orange color. 

" That means, ' my love is the chiefest among ten thousand 
and — altogether lovely,' I suggested, seeing that he had forgot- 
ten the sentence. 

" Here is another," she said, selecting an elegant white flower, 
very sweet and fragrant, and much resembling a lily. 

" That is, my love is all innocence," she said. 



246 Female Life among the Mormons. 



While engaged in this pleasant play, we were suddenly- 
startled by a war-whoop, such as Indians make when returning 
from a victorious enterprise ; and soon Mrs. Bradish, followed 
by Charley Moore and Buckley, appeared. Mounted behind 
Charley was the beautiful Bthleen, her long hair floating over 
her rounded shoulders, and every feature glowing with happi- 
ness. We returned to the camp together, when they informed 
us that after the departure of the Indians, with whom Ethleen 
was detained as a captive, they determined on pursuit, and 
mounting their horses, took the trail, which, after winding about 
in several narrow valleys, led directly into the mountains. That 
night they followed it by moon-shine till near morning, when the 
whole party became weary, and concluded to halt for refresh- 
ment. They kindled no light, but supped on some dried beef, 
and. then, concealed among the rocks, laid down to sleep in 
silence and darkness. At day-light they resumed the pursuit, 
and followed the trail all that day, through narrow glens and 
along the foot of a considerable mountain range. Just at sun- 
set they became satisfied that the Indians had encamped in the 
neighborhood ; consequently, they were under the necessity of 
proceeding cautiously. As Buckley had the most experience in 
Indian habits and warfare, he volunteered to go forward when 
it became dark, while his companions remained concealed in the 
glen. Moore at first objected to this arrangement, but the old 
man finally succeeded in convincing him that the success of their 
enterprise all depended on wariness and caution. 

They are twenty to one of us, and we must outwit them 
some how, or the gal is lost," said the old man. 

" And how are we to do that V inquired Moore. 

"That all depends on circumstances, but I think we can 
come it ; Indians ain't quick-witted any way you can fix it." 

" I thought they were up to all sorts of mischief and strata- 
gem," said Mrs. Bradish. 



Young Blood vs. An Old Head. 



24T 



" Well, they do try to be, but being and trying to be, are 
two tilings, you know." 
" Certainly." 

" You see, when I was trapping among the Ozark Moun- 
tains ; but I won't tell the story to night." 
" Why not ?" 

" Because it ain't a proper time, we must be on the watch 
for them devils." 

And the old man bent his ear to the ground, and lay several 
minutes intently listening. 

" I hear 'em," he said at length," the devils are preparing for 
n carouse, I guess." 

" Oh, G-od ! for Ethleen's sacrifice," cried Moore, starting up. 
" Haste, haste, old man, we shall be too late." 

" Never fear that," said Buckley. 

" But I do fear it," said Moore impetuously. 

"Young and hasty," answered the old man laughing, "just 
as I was when Bill Peters — but I won't tell it." 

t% No you shan't. I don't want any of your stories till 
Ethleen is rescued from her enemies. Come, what are you going 
to do ?" 

" Stay just where I be at least two hours." 

u Then I shall attempt her release without you." 

" And bring certain destruction on yourself and her." 

11 1 shall try at any rate. I should hear her deathrshriek for 
eternity if I sat here while they were building her funeral- 
pile." 

" They are building it !" said the old man coolly, lifting him- 
self from the ground. 

" Old man," said Mrs. Bradish, " I shall have a very po6r 
opinion of your bravery, and less of your humanity, if you suffer 
that poor girl to be sacrificed without making an effort to save 
her." 



248 



Female Life amoxg the Mormons. 



" And do you suppose, madam, that I would have come 1 here 
for no purpose at all V 

" And jet you seem very easy about that purpose." 
" Because I know my own know." 
" You do indeed !" 

" Yes, which is more than can be said of everybody. You 
see I knowed all about these Indian sacrifices, and just how 
they manage 'em. You see they'll get everything ready for 
their hideous pow-wow. They'll dance, and hoot, and yell to 
their heart's content, and until they are fairly tired out. 
Then the intended victim will be led away from the stake, and 
confined in a hut, or some other convenient place, while the 
devils will go to sleep, and by this means repair their exhausted 
energies preparatory to another scene. This slumber will be the 
time for us. If we can find the gal, we shall have no difficulty. 
It strikes me, however, that you had better stay here with the 
horses, and keep perfectly still, while I go on ahead. What do 
you say ?" 

They consented to be governed by his advice, when again 
putting his ear to the ground, he listened intently. 

" I think it's time for me to be off," he said, rising up ; and, 
divesting himself of all superabundant clothing, he disappeared 
noiselessly among the rocks. Moore looked after him long and 
wistfully, and then sunk down in an attitude of silence. 

" I wonder how long he will be absent V said Mrs. Bradish, 
to whom the suspense was dreadful. 

Moore shook his head. 

" An hour ?" she continued, inquiringly. 

" Two or three of them, probably." 
, " Oh, heavens ! I cannot begin to wait that long." 

"Unless you have to; but we must be still;" and both 
relapsed into silence. 

Meanwhile, the old man pursued his way, sometimes striking 



The Sacrificial Dance. 



249 



the trail, but generally guided by his ear, which he placed every 
few minutes to the ground. In this manner he proceeded a con- 
siderable distance, and having crept with more than usual cau- 
tion over the brow of an eminence, he came suddenly within 
sight of the Indians. They were dancing, yelling and howling, 
around their victim, who was tied to a stake, and who seemed 
to regard all their preparations with a stoical indifference. At 
length one of the warriors suddenly darted from the circle of 
dancers up to the prisoner, and commenced brandishing his 
tomahawk over her head, motioning to strike, now here, now 
there — in the forehead, on the face, and over the throat. She 
never flinched, but regarded his actions with a clear, steady 
countenance, and calm unshrinking eye. Yelling horribly, he 
darted back to his place in the circle, and swept around with 
the others. In a few moments another seized a firebrand, and, 
rushing up to the girl, motioned to touch her with it on the 
eyes, the cheeks, lips and chin. This time she laughed derisively. 

"You are no warrior," she said tantalizingly. "You don't 
know how to scalp an enemy. You are a squaw." 

Enraged beyond measure, he was about to fire the pile, when 
a second warrior struck the torch from his hands. They were 
not ready for the consummation of their vengeance. 

To describe these Indian dances would be impossible. ~No 
English words could possibly express the postures, the contor- 
tions and unnatural positions into which the performers throw 
themselves, and all this accompanied by yells, howls, screams, 
shrieks and noises, of the most terrific and horrible character. 

Presently the dance became less animated, the voices less wild 
and shrill. One after another of the dancers dropped off, evi- 
dently overcome with fatigue. At length the chief sprung for- 
ward, and severing the cord that bound the victim to the stake, 
he led her off into a hut. Buckley, from the close covert of a 
thicket, beheld the movement. His eye sparkled with delight 

11* 



250 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



as he muttered, " They'll soon be quiet now." A few minutes 

proved his assertion, and the whole band were buried in the 
oblivion of slumber. Buckley crept cautiously towards the hut 
where he knew the girl to be confined. He understood perfectly 
the nature of his foe, and knew very well that no ordinary noise 
would awaken them, but he observed that the chief had a large 
dog, and, to judge from appearances, a sagacious one, which it 
might be difficult to elude. This canine warrior seemed aware 
of the proximity of a foe. Two or three times he had started 
up, snuffed the air, and barked loudly ; then, running to his 
master, he began pulling and tugging at his blanket. The chief 
partly awakened, scolded the dog, and ordered him to lie down, 
a command which the animal manifested no inclination to obey. 
Buckley conjectured that the slumber of the Indians would con- 
tinue probably an hour, when the victim would be again brought 
forth, and their horrible orgies consummated in her death. 
Every moment then was precious, but how was the dog to be 
quieted ? One only scheme presented an appearance of feasibi- 
lity. Raising himself up, and striking a light, he stood in the 
full view of his enemy, about one hundred yards from the camp. 
As he expected, the dog came bounding towards him, growling 
and gnashing his teeth. The old man received him valiantly 
with a drawn dagger. The struggle was violent, but brief, and 
Buckley beheld himself the master of the field. Gliding along 
to the hut without further delay, Buckley commenced removing 
the back side covering with extreme caution, and soon made an 
aperture through which he could scan the inside of the cabin. 
The girl was alone, and pinioned in a most uncomfortable posi- 
tion. Having satisfied himself of this, he recommenced widen- 
ing the hole until it became sufficiently large for the ingress of 
a man. 

Though Ethleen had detected the sound of his approaching 
footsteps, and even then, according to her statement, knew him 



Hide and Seek. 



251 



to be a white man, she remained perfectly silent, conscious that 
her condition could not possibly be rendered any worse. Her 
heart bounded with exultation, when she read his features in the 
dim firelight, and heard the whispered words that assured her of 
the presence of a friend. With one stroke of the knife her 
thongs were removed, and she bounded to her feet like a young 
fawn. A moment after she was following him, with noiseless 
step, from the Indian encampment. 

They had proceeded but a short distance, however, when they 
* were startled by a tremendous whooping and yelling. 

" They have discovered your escape," whispered Buckley, in 
the Indian dialect, " and will be down on us presently like so 
many devils." 

" I think," said Ethleen, " that the noise we heard tells the 
arrival of a new party, who were coming in to-night." 

" Probably, but even in that case your escape will be discov- 
ered." 

Ethleen trembled like a frightened bird. 

" Now dont be scary ; your condition is not desperate," said 
the old man. " But we must keep our wits about us ; can you 
climb a tree ?" 

"Like a squirrel." 

"Well, then, betake yourself to that pine yonder ; make no 
noise, let what will happen." 
And you." 
" I will mount this one ; but hurry." 

Ethleen glided rapidly away, and Buckley ascended the tree 
he had chosen. It was a huge pine, thick at the top, with the 
growth of centuries. He was scarcely concealed among the 
branches, when a great demonstration of howling and yelling 
among the Indians, announced some new discovery — probably the 
massacre of the dog. The old man chuckled, " Don't it plague 
'em, the copper colored devils," he muttered, unconsciously. 



252 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



The Indians were examining the ground for his. trail, which 

discovered, they pushed on vigorously. Buckley had antici- 
pated this, and consequently had retraced his steps, walking 
backwards for a considerable distance, in which he was imitated 
by Ethleen. The Indians passed and re-passed, paused and hesi- 
tated, in their vain efforts to follow the trail, then finally aban- 
doned the attempt, and went back to their encampment. 
Descending noiselessly from his hiding-place, he was joined by 
Ethleen, who fell on her knees and embraced his hands in 
unspeakable gratitude. * 

"Tut, tut," said the old man, "no time for that. Let's be 
getting away from the sarpents as fast as possible." 

Ethleen rose, and the two were soon safely concealed by the 
mountain gorges, though in the nearest and most direct way to 
rejoin his companions. 



water! water!! water!!! 
HEN the wounded men were sufficiently recovered, we 



Vy recommenced our journey, and, notwithstanding all that 
the prophets and elders could say, and the encouragement they 
held out of our safety, peace, and happiness in the Promised 
Land, our people very generally had become low-spirited. 

B m rated them soundly for this. " Would you, then, 

return to the flesh-pots of Egypt ?" he said. " Would you 
dwell among the heathen, rather than endure the trials and dif- 
ficulties incident to the possession of the Lord's goodly heri- 
tage ? Oh ! for shame, for shame ! and I will pray for you, 



CHAPTER XXIX. 




MURMURINGS IN THE CAMP. 



25B 



even as Moses prayed for tbe children of Israel ; pray for you 3 
that ye fall not out by the way." 

Such exhortations, however, were illy calculated to produce a 
pleasant effect, under the multiplicity of discouragements that 
attended the emigration. Food had become scarce — that is, 
such as we were accustomed to eat. One after another, the 
poor worn-out oxen had been slain. Mrs. Beardsley declared 
that she knew it would be so, and said that she would rather die 
than eat a morsel of horse or mule flesh. 

Mrs. Stillman, sen., was not certain about the dying, but pro- 
tested that she thought it horrible, and even reflected rather 
severely on the first mentioned lady for exposing herself to fore- 
seen difficulties. 

The prophets counselled resignation, and dwelt largely on the 
example of the Israelites. 

" Well, I can't see any resemblance at all," said Mrs. Beards- 
ley. " The Lord sent them quails and manna, but he lets us 
take care of ourselves." 

" We are under another dispensation." 

" Another dispensation, is it ! — then why talk of resemblan- 
ces where none exist ?" and the good lady snapped her knitting 
needles with redoubled vigor. 

" I don't see that you have anything to complain of, mother," 
said Harmer, jestingly. " Your yarn seems to hold out well." 

"Not so very well, either," she answered. "I haven't but 
six balls." 

" Six balls, — and how many have you knit since we started ?" 
" Twelve." 

" Why, mother, you will supply the whole colony with stock- 
ings." 

" But we can't eat stockings," said Pan Simpkins, "and the 
trouble now seems to be to get something fit to eat. This dried 
buffalo meat is actually abominable." 



254 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



It was so, in fact, being very little, if any, better than so 

much bark. 

That, however, was only the beginning of sorrow, for in a few 
days we entered a sandy and barren region, where, to onr other 
ills and inconveniences, that most intolerable of all, the want of 
water, was added. The streams were all dried np, the rivers 
disappeared from their channels, there was neither rain nor dew. 

But, though the air seemed intensely hot, and the sky exhib- 
ited not a trace of clouds, there was a softness in the atmos- 
phere at night, a resplendent glory in the stars, altogether 
incomprehensible and most delightful. And, this region, other- 
wise so sterile, was filled with flowers of the richest perfume 
and the brightest colors. In man}- places, where it would seem, 
from the gravelly, sandy nature of the soil, that no plant what- 
ever could take root, cactuses, literally covered with a profusion 
of large crimson flowers, thrived luxuriantly, thus presenting a 
remarkable contrast to the surrounding desolation. For one of 
the remarkable characteristics of this place, was the utter 
absence of animal life. Xot a bird visited these resplendent 
blossoms, not a butterfly or insect enlivened the solitude. Nei- 
ther hares nor pheasants lurked beneath their coverts. Even 
the Indians seemed to avoid the country. Once, and once only, 
we caught the glimpse of a troop of wild horses, skirting the 
horizon. It was only a glimpse, and yet I shall ever remember 
the graceful agility of their motions, and the sleek sparkle of 
their glossy sides. But sadder sights than these awaited us. I 
had descended from the wagon to walk, in order that I might 
examine the beautiful flowers. I was particularly charmed by 
two or three huge plants of the cactus species, which had grown 
so close together that they appeared compact. They were, at 
least, niuety feet in circumference, and large scarlet blossoms 
depended from the branches. But, while stooping to gather a 
bouquet, my fingers inadvertently touched a relic, the sight of 



Horrible" Sufferings. 



255 



which filled me with horror. It was a human skeleton ; bnt the 
skin, instead of falling away, still clung to the bones, showing 
the veins, and muscles, and sinews, in a horrible state of preser- 
vation, yet with strict fidelity to nature. The long, lank, bony 
fingers, yet held a paper clutched tightly between them. Curi- 
osity was stronger than fear, and I removed it. There were a 
few lines written with a pencil, which I had much difficulty in 
making out. They ran : 

" We can go no further. My wife and five children— all dying for want of water ! Oh, 
God ! this death is horrible !" 

The poor fellow had evidently sought the shelter of the cactus 
to shield himself from the burning sun ; and there died from 
burning, intolerable thirst. But the wife and children — where 
where were were they ? A little further on, in the same state 
of horrible attenuation, without decay. The mother yet clasped 
her infant in her bony arms, and the thin, tightly-drawn lips of 
the child were pressed to her cadaverous breast. Two of the 
children — a boy and a girl — had their fingers interlaced ; while 
the other two were twined in each other's arms, as if they 
sought to solace the agonies of that horrible death by the 
sweets of congenial affection. And who shall say that they 
were not happier, dying thus, than multitudes have been who 
departed this life surrounded by all the comforts of wealth and 
luxury, but with hatred gnawing, Prometheus-like, at their 
hearts ? 

But the best of us were in no condition to speculate or philo- 
sophize. Thirst, intolerable thirst, was burning our tongues and 
scorching our brains. Our poor animals suffered as much, or 
even more than ourselves ; and I half forgot my own miseries in 
witnessing theirs. 

B m, fond of instituting comparisons between ourselves 

and the children of Israel, began to talk about their sufferings 



256 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



in the wilderness. Mrs. Beardsley, whose asperity increased 
with the difficulties, requested him to step forth and imitate the 
example of Moses, by bringing water out of the rock. He 
declined the attempt, however, excusing himself on the ground 
that his followers had too little faith. 

At length, after an inconceivably toilsome and weary march, 
one of the men discovered a spring. We crowded eagerly 
around it, both men and beasts, but imagine our sorrow, surprise 
and consternation, to find that the water was both - salt and bit- 
ter. Truly, I thought of the waters of Marah, but no miracle 
interposed for us, as in that case, and while some murmured, 
and others prayed, a third party sat in sullen despair, and many 
wept. All around here were the skeletons of men and horses, 
which had not been able to find support for their lives. 

Buckley, with life great sagacity, and knowledge of the coun- 
try, declared he knew from infallible signs that water must be 
near. Accordingly, several of the men set off to look for it, and 
about a mile distant, found the bed of a stream, from which the 
water had disappeared, a little only remaining in holes, which 
was increased by digging, until we all received a comfortable 
supply. Our route the next day, was through a country equally 
dry and sterile, where the trail was literally paved with the skel- 
etons of men and horses. These latter were continually giving 
out, some from thirst, others from crippled feet. A dull and 
sullen despair pervaded the company, and this was considerably 
enhanced from the fact, that many had lost their confidence in 
the knowledge and sagacity of the leaders. 

" When, oh ! when, will this ever come to an end ?" said 
Louisa, one morning, as we commenced our weary march. " I 
had heard of the American deserts, where wild horses, rode by 
wilder Indians, roamed, but never thought to be myself a wan- 
derer over its sterile plains." 

Generally, however, the women bore their sufferings with a 



More of Fan's Coquetries. 



251 



fortitude far surpassing that of the men. Some of them even 
affected a cheerfulness they were far from feeling, in order to 
support the sinking spirits of the party. Fan Simpkins still car- 
ried on her ridiculous coquetries, much to the amusement of 
Mrs. Bradish, but to the infinite chagrin of the victims. Sub- 
jected to this annoyance, old Mrs. Stillman scarcely perceivec 
the presence of other ills. When the old gentleman walked 
Fan would take his arm; when he rode, she would sit besid 
him ; then she would present him with bouquets, talk to him, sing 
for him, and strive, by every means, to attract his attention. 
We might be hazarding too much, to say that the old man was 
charmed and fascinated, though it is certain that he was not 
displeased, and gave her far more encouragement than suited his 
wife. 

" Mrs. Stillman cannot be a true believer," said Mrs. Bradish, 
" or she would see the expediency and necessity of these things, 
and cease her ridiculous opposition, accordingly. Does she sup- 
pose that her puny resentment is to change a practice incorpo- 
rated with a system of divine truth ?" 

" It is impossible to tell what she supposes, or proposes. 
Indeed it is scarcely probable that she entertains the idea of 
any definite scheme whatever, but she hates and abhors the 
thought of sharing her husband's affections with a youthful 
rival." 

Notwithstanding her errors and failings, Mrs. Bradish exhi- 
bited a strength of mind and purpose truly admirable. Under 
all the dangers and difficulties of our tiresome journey, she main- 
tained the same serenity, counselled the same direct, straightfor- 
ward measures ; seeming to take the whole thing as a matter of 
course. When the others complained, she sung ; when they 
wept, she returned thanks ; when they cursed (for some of the 
men, notwithstanding their character of saints, did curse), she 
prayed ; when they sat in sullen despair, she laughed and chat- 



258 



Female Life among the Mormoxs. 



ted, told.hurnorous stories, and otherwise sought to divert their 
attention. 

Then, too, she was kind and considerate, and, though in every- 
body's business, really counselled wisely. There are good points 
in every character ; amid a multitude of vices there are always 
some virtues, and it frequently happens that the most glaring 
defects are associated with the kindest hearts. And this 
woman, so Amazon-like in her habits, would nurse the sick, 
especially children, with the fondest care. Above all others, 
she possessed the art so useful to nurses of getting the little 
rebels to take medicine. Was a nauseous dose of bitter tea to 
be administered, she must be called into requisition, and never 
failed, sometimes by coaxing, sometimes by scolding, and some- 
times by other means, in getting them to drink it. She seemed 
to delight in making her influence felt ; above all, she had a 
quickness of perception as to our necessities, with a ready skill 
in making the most of means. 

But all her cheerfulness and care could not render the heat and 
thirst less intolerable, while journeying over the hot yellow sands 
of this elevated country. It could not make the bisuada any 
more palatable, or communicate a more grateful succulency to 
the leaves of the sour dock, with which we moistened our mouths ; 
but when one day at sunset, we came to a bold running stream, 
we felt that Providence had not deserted us, for appearances led 
us to conclude that the wilderness of sand was passed. 

We now came to the Indian country, and their hostile demon- 
strations were far from pleasant. As there was an abundan 
of water and good grass, it was deemed advisable to rest a 
refresh the animals for a day or two. This gave the savag 
abundant opportunity to harass and distress us. The men wer 
obliged to keep arms in their hands continually. Towards eve 
ing they began surrounding the horses, which had been driven fo 
pasture to a fresh hill-side. They were immediately driven iut 



Hostile Indians. 



259 



dose quarters. During the night we were much troubled with 
thein, but being desirious of peace, we simply acted on the 
defensive. The next morning multitudes of them were seen in 
every direction. Some on the bottoms, others on the hills ; 
some silent, but many pointing at*and haranguing us. Their 
language being probably a dialect of the Utah, Harrner could 
understand them very well. They were evidently hostile towards 
us, and we were not very well disposed tQ, them. They were 
almost nude, without either hats or shoes. Their hair being 
gathered into a knot behind, was ornamented by the plumes of 
eagles, or tufts of horse-hair. Besides his bow, each man carried 
a quiver with forty or fifty arrows, partially drawn out. Besides 
these, each man held two or three in his hand for instant service. 
These arrows were barbed with a translucent stone, a species 
of opal, nearly as hard, and quite as beautiful as the diamond ; 
and when shot from their long bows, were almost as effective as 
powder and ball. 

In these Indians I was forcibly struck with an animal appear- 
ance. Their motions, their countenances, and the expression of 
their eyes, were those of a wild beast. One, who appeared to be 
the chief, with two or three warriors, came boldly into our camp. 
When shown the weapons of our men, " Well," he replied, 
twanging his bow, " these are quite as good." 

" Pshaw 1" said Harmer, aiming at a bird, which he shot 
dead. 

The Indian gave a derisive laugh, and brought down another. 
Fearful of the consequences likely to result, Mr. Ward went 
forward to expostulate, and bestowing a small present on the 
Indians induced them to leave the camp. 

These savages are a miserable and degraded race, infinitely 
inferior to their more warlike brethren of the Sioux, Pawnee and 
Snake tribes. -They chiefly subsist on roots and lizards, and 
each man is furnished with a long stick, hooked at one end, with 



260 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



which they search for their favorite food in the crevices of the 
rocks. These they roasted and ate with great relish. Nothing 
delighted them more than to get hold of ~a worn-out horse or 
mule, the flesh of which, half cooked by the fire, and eaten 
without salt, afforded them a real luxury. 

To the Mormons, who regarded the Indians as descendants of 
the ten lost tribes of Israel, these people offered a subject of 
curious and devout speculation, but though the Mormon Bible 
was brought forth, and its contents scanned with the closest - 
scrutiny, no clue could be obtained to their origin, or the 
patriarch whence they sprung. 

Buckley, whose views of religion and philosophy were some- 
what original, declared that the Indians were a race by them- 
selves ; that they were produced in fact just where they were 
found, and not at all attributable to our first parents. 

" How produced ?" said Harmer, "you do not suppose that 
they growed like a tree ?" 

"Yes ; exactly like a tree. Did ye ever read the first chap- 
ter of Genesis V 

All said that they had. 

"Well don't you know that it reads there that God said. 
1 Let the earth bring forth grass; the herb yielding seed, and the 
fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind ; ' and it was so." 

"But what has that to do with the Indians ?" 

" Nothing particularly, though it has something to do with 
the trees." 

"So we perceive." 

" Well, in another verse it says that God said, 'Let the waters 
bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life ; ' and 
it was so ; now listen, in another verse still further on, we find 
that God said, ' Let the earth bring forth abundantly the living 
creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of 
the field after his kind ; 7 and it was so. Now what I want you 



A New Difficulty. 



261 



to see is this, that the earth brought forth trees and animals, 
and that the waters brought forth fish, and such like, by the 
same process. Then if trees, and fish, and animals, were thus 
brought forth, why not Indians, too V 

" Then you think that the Indians are beasts P 
" To be sure I do, beasts just as much as mules." 
" And have no souls ?" 

" Souls are something that I, for one, don't know anything 
about." 

The next morning B m informed us that it had been 

revealed to him, that these savages were the tribe of God, and 
that their present degraded state was a judgment upon them, 
for their want of faith. 

As no one could disprove the truth of this statement, it 
remained undisputed. 



P^AFELY beyond the sterile and desolate wilderness, and the 



hordes of wild, untutored savages, we began to congratulate 
ourselves on the prospect of future comfort, when a new diffi- 
culty presented, of a diametrically opposite character. We had 
been distressed with heat and the absence of moisture. We 
had experienced the dull monotony of arid plains, and now it 
was our lot to encounter the formidable obstacles of giant moun- 
tains covered with snow, and to feel the fiercer sufferings occa- 
sioned by wintry cold. 

Mrs. Bradish looked at the mountains, but her eye never 
blenched. 



CHAPTER XXX. 



OTHER DIFFICULTIES. 




262 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" Is it possible," said Mrs. Beardsley, " that we are expected 
to cross these mountains ?" 

"To be sure, the land we seek lies beyond them," said 
Harmer. 

" And lie beyond them it may," returned the old lady, "but 
for my part, I know that it would be utterly impossible for any 
man, woman, or child to ever get to it." 

"You are greatly mistaken, mother," replied Harmer, "these 
mountains are not so formidable as they appear. We shall not 
attempt to clamber up the perpendicular ascent ; far from it, but 
seek for notches, and gaps, and passes, and" ■ 

" Go wandering about for months, get lost, and starved to 
death, perhaps." 

"Oh, you are meeting trouble more than half way." 

"No such thing, I am only making preparations for an emer- 
gency that will surely come." 

" What makes you think so ?" 

" Because we are travelling the same road that other poor 
emigrants who perished have travelled." 

" And yet that is nothing. The road we have already passed 
is strewn with skeletons ; if others died, that is no proof that 
we shall." 

I saw that blank amazement and apprehension filled the 
minds of many. Some openly murmured, but the greater num- 
ber prepared to advance boldly into the mountains, and over- 
come the dangers, by facing them. 

" Cursed be he -that putteth his hand to the plough and 

looketh back," said B m, "my friends and brethren I wish 

you to remember the fate of Lot's wife." 

" I wonder what good that would do ?" said Fan Simpkins, 
" we ain't pillars of salt." 

" I wish that you was," said Mrs. Stillman, sen., emphasizing 
the "you." 



Ethleen, the Indian Girl. 



268 



" Why so, mother ?" said Fan provokingly, " 'tis strange that 
while you love papa better than anybody else, you are not 
willing for other people to love him too/' 

"Jezebel," muttered the old woman, and though hitherto con- 
sidered of a very remarkably peaceable disposition, she made a 
motion that seemed very much like shaking her fist. 

Emily, a great lover of nature, exulted in the picturesque 
scenery, and declared herself amply repaid for all her fatigue 
and suffering. She and Ethleen were inseparable, and the 
beautiful child of the desert was making a rapid acquaintance 
with the English language, under the tuition of her equally 
beautiful instructress ; while she amply repaid the debt by 
teaching Emily the use of the bow and arrow. Moore united his 
instructions to those of Emily, and the susceptible heart of Eth- 
leen readily acknowledged the claims of her deliverer. Side by 
side they wandered over the valleys and along the hills. Mrs. 
Bradish had designed for her a singularly beautiful and unique 
costume. It consisted of full Turkish trowsers of rich purple 
stuff, an orange vest or boddice, fastened with silk buttons, and 
worn over a chemisette of snowy muslin, to which was sometimes 
added, by way of full dress, a crimson sash. A delicately 
embroidered moccasin protected her graceful foot ; while her 
long black hair was gathered into braids, and wound around her 
head in the form of coronet, to which were appended the bright- 
est flowers and feathers. 

" Oh, I would like to live here always," she said to Moore and 
Emily, one day when they had climbed a hill that afforded a 
beautiful prospect, " it is so beautiful, and looks so much like the 
scenery around my father's village.' 

"What was the name of your father, dear Ethleen? you 
never told me," Emily said. 

" My father was a chief and warrior," answered Ethleen, "his 
name is of no account." 



/ 

- 

264 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



The youthful savage had learned sufficiently of our tongue to 
understand that its definition with us would be ridiculous, and 
so she refused to reveal it ; it was simply the Buffalo's Horn. 

" Had you any brothers and sisters?' 7 continued Emily. 

" Two brothers, and one sister." 

" And do you not wish to go back and live with them ?" 

The poor girl made no answer, but burst into tears. 

" Emily, how cruel you are," exclaimed Charley, "her rela- 
tives were all slain by these savages, from whom we rescued her. 
At any rate, that is what she told me." 

"It was thoughtless in me," said Emily, "Ethleen, love, do 
not weep, you shall stay with us always, indeed you shall." 

" With me," suggested Charley. 

"Very well, with you, then." 

Ethleen soon wiped away her tears, and they descended to the 
valley, where we were encamped. 

This valley, which was about six miles wide, was bordered on 
either side by mountains ^from twelve hundred to two thousand 
feet high. On the north, broken and granite masses rose 
abruptly from the green sward, terminating in a line of jagged 
summits. On the south, the range was finely timbered, and at 
night luminous with fires, probably the work of the Indians, 
who were in the neighborhood. Among these masses, there 
were sometimes isolated hills and ridges, with green valleys 
opening between them, whose deep verdure and profusion of 
beautiful flowers presented a fine contrast to the sterile gran- 
deur of the rocks, and the barrenness of the sandy plains. 

The western part of this valley bore all the characteristics of 
an elevated plain, and the ground was completely whitened with 
saline efflorescences that shone like a lake reflecting in the sun. 
Advancing still further along, we came to a number of isolated 
cones about fifty feet high, consisting of layers of white clay and 
marl, in nearly horizontal strata. Several herds of antelope 



Picturesque Scenery. 



265 



made their appearance, and a grizzly bear was seen scrambling 
among the rocks. As we passed along, we canght the glimpse 
of mountain torrent, and subsequently, encamped on the banks 
of a river which Buckley asserted was a tributary of the Colo- , 
rado. Here we found an abundance of soft green grass, with 
beautiful flowers, that made the bottoms look gay as a garden. 
Several of our young people went out to gather bouquets, while 
the hunters departed to look for game. The spirits of the 
whole party seemed agreeably refreshed with the salutary 
change from sterility to a plentiful supply of grass and water, 
while the bracing mountain air acted like a charm on our weak- 
ened frames, but we could not be insensible to the fact that our 
provisions were daily becoming scarcer, and that we should pro- 
bably have to encounter famine, accompanied with cold. 

But it would be useless and tedious to follow our line of 
travel. One day we were traversing an undulating country, 
consisting of greyish sand-stone and fine-grained conglomerates ; 
another, our route lay along a river valley, bordered by hills of 
moderate height ; while, again, we were passing among primi- 
tive rocks, characterized by wildness and disorder, with impetu- 
ous torrents tumbling over them. Sometimes the tall crags 
were utterly sterile and naked, and sometimes they were par- 
tially or completely covered with aspen, beech, willow, and tall 
pines, nodding in magnificent grandeur over their summits. In 
several places, we discerned traces of beaver on the streams ; 
remnants of dams, near which were lying trees which they had 
cut down. Sometimes we ascended hills, at others crossed 
ravines, or traversed deep valleys, filled with blocks of granite, 
mica slate, or milky quartz. We journeyed at frequent inter- 
vals over elevated prairies, whitened in occasional spots with 
small salt lakes, from some of which the waters had evaporated, 
leaving the ground covered with saline incrustations, while in 
others a bitter brine remained, standing about in little holes, or 

12 



266 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



spread over a surface of considerable diameter, and probably 
two feet in depth. In this locality we made our fires of artemi- 
sia, which burned well, with a clear, oily flame. 

At length, after a weary and toilsome ascent of one hundred 
and twenty miles, we came to what has been denominated the 
South Pass. In this there is nothing of the gorge-like passes 
characteristic of the Alieghanies, in America, or the Simplon 
and St. Bernard, of Europe, but the ascent is so continual and 
gradual, that the traveller finds himself on the summit without 
being reminded of any change. And thence we obtained a 
magnificent view, m one direction, over a broken and champaign 
country, covered at short distances by isolated hills. In 
another, the Wind River Mountains appeared on the horizon, 
like a low mountainous ridge ; while directly before us we beheld 
the snow line of massive mountains, their white peaks glittering 
in the sun, and seeming to pierce the heavens. The air was 
extremely cold, the sky clear and beautiful, without a trace of 
cloud. The elders proposed a halt — and there, amid the wild 
magnificence of nature, with rocks and heights and mountains 
and granite boulders on all sides of us, they commenced a hymn 
of thanksgiving, and, whether or not we accede to the Mor- 
mon ritual, or have faith in the Mormon doctrine, all must con- 
clude that the tune, the scene, and the occasion were particu- 
larly well calculated to inspire devotional sentiments, and all 
heartily joined in the strain. Never had the magnificent moun- 
tains witnessed such a scene before. The ancient rocks had 
reverberated thousands of times to the war-shout of savages, 
and the howls of wild beasts, but never to the worship of God. 
Then all bowed, and prayers were offered, the rude trapper fer- 
vently joining, as did every one else. Though Ethleen under- 
stood little of the worship, she appeared struck with its appro- 
priateness and simplicity. 

Just as we commenced descending the inclined plane of the 



An Indian Alrar. 



267 



western side, we came to a pile of unhewn stone, which, consid- 
ering the size and appearance of the boulders, had evidently 
been brought with much labor and difficulty together. While 
we were speculating on its character and purpose, Ethleen 
approached. She shuddered at beholding it, and was hastening 
on, when, observing her agitation, I inquired if she knew its 
use. She replied in the affirmative, saying that it was an Indian 
altar, where they offered to their gods such sacrifices as could 
be obtained, with now and then a captive taken in war. 

Leaving this memento of an idolatrous belief, we passed on, 
and soon reached a river, said to be a tributary of the Colorado. 
It was broad and shallow, with a full, swift current, over a 
rocky bed. It was timbered with a growth of low bushes and 
dense willows, among which were very little verdant spots, 
affording fine grass for the animals, and many beautiful plants 
for my botanical collection. We crossed several other streams, 
in the course of a few days, generally mountain torrents, flow- 
ing impetuously over a rocky bed ; and passed some isolated 
hills of a remarkable character. The Indians, according to 
Ethleen, have some interesting traditional legends connected 
with these places. They regard them as especially under the 
power and influence of evil spirits, who, they assert, frequently 
make themselves visible, particularly on the highest one, in the 
form of a cloud. 

* We found the cold gradually increasing, and the air becom- 
ing purer and more bracing. Water froze at night, and fires 
were more comfortable. I am not over-fond of stirring early, 
but came out sooner than usual in order to witness the magnifi- 
cent sunrises. The sky is inexpressibly clear and bine. The 
first rays of the sun have tipped with gold the lofty snowy peak 
of the mountain, though they have not reached us. In the east 
a long mountain wall rises abruptly two thousand feet, behind 
which snowy peaks, belonging to another ridge, are visible, 



268 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



though dark, and standing out clear against the glowing sky. 
A fog, just risen from the river, creeps along the base of the 
mountain at our feet. The scene becomes every moment more 
grand, interesting, and magnificent. The sun surmounts the 
wall, with a broad, glowing disc, and instantly effects a magical 
change. The river glows like molten gold, the valleys gleam, 
and the snowy peaks seem clothed in garments of silver. 
Though these mountains have never been famed in song and 
story, they have a character of grandeur aud magnificence, and 
will doubtless find pens and pencils to do them justice. In the 
scenery before us, we perceive how much a forest improves a 
view, as the dark pines of the mountains were a source of much 
additional beauty. We were now approaching a huge moun- 
tain chain, and consequently soon became involved in very bro- 
ken ground, among long ridges, covered with fragments of 
granite. Winding our way, with great difficulty, up a long 
ravine, we came, unexpectedly, in sight of a beautiful lake, set 
like a gem in the mountains, and which proved to be the head- 
waters of a large stream, tributary to Green River. The sheet 
of water lay transversely along the course we had been pursu- 
ing, and effectually blockaded all further passage. It became 
necessary to halt and call a council, and, as our jaded animals 
required rest, we encamped. • 

While the elders were discussing the best and nearest route 
to turn the flank of the lake, I amused myself in listening to the 
remarks of Mrs. Beardsley, and admiring the stately magnifi- 
cence of the surrounding scene. 

"Just as I knowed it would be/*' said the old lady, knitting 
away with redoubled energy ; "I was confident that we should 
get lost." 

" For my part," said Mrs. Stillmau, sen., "I believe we have 
been lost all the time." 

" I begin to think myself," said Buckley, " that we have come 



The Lost Trail. 



269 



considerably out of our way. I wonder what we have been 
thinking of all the time." 

" Of nothing at all but foolishness/' said the irritated old 
lady. 

"Never mind, mother," said Louisa — "but did you ever see 
such magnificent rocks V 7 

"I never want to see them again," said the old lady, who 
cared very little for the magnificence of nature. 

The whole scene was one of surprising grandeur. With 
nothing to intercept or lessen the view, a mighty ridge of snow- 
capped mountains rose before us, pile upon pile, glowing in the 
bright refulgence of an unclouded sky. Immediately beneath 
them, and between two ridges covered with dark pines, lay the 
lake, glittering in the rich sunlight, its banks of yellow sand, 
and the light foliage of the aspen groves contrasting with the 
gloomy grandeur of the shadowy pines. 

After a long discussion, it was decided that we should retrace 
our steps to the foot of the South Pass, and thence enter the 
valley which communicated immediately with the Green River, 
and thence inclining southward, led directly to Bear River, a 
tributary of the Great Salt Lake. A half-civilized Indian of 
the Black-feet tribe, who had been trapping for beaver among 
the hills, seeing our fires, came into the camp, and volunteered 

to be our guide. B m at first refused to receive him, but 

the people began to murmur, and he was forced to accede. Our 
misfortune, indeed, was chiefly attributable to the headstrong 
Prophet, who persisted in opposing Harmer, and making his 
crude revelations the guide of the people, though it appeared 
that the others had become somewhat bewildered among the 
various intersecting trails. 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

BEAR riyer yalley. 

DURING- our long journey I have had no occasion to allude 
to either Mrs. Cook, or Irene, the spiritual wife of Smith. 
The former, on the death of his wife, attached herself unre- 
servedly to Mr. Murray. It was rumored that they quarrelled, 
and even came to blows : one thing, however, is certain, illicit 
connexions uniformly terminate unhappily, and she manifested 
the utmost indifference at his death. After this event she 
became exceedingly intimate with Irene, who manifested the 
utmost pride and stateliness, and gloried herself in keeping the 
relics of Smith. Every few days the precious garments were 
brought out and aired, and then returned to the place of depo- 
sit amid the perfume of musk and amber. During all this time 
Irene looked haughty and discontented, said very little to any 

one, and evidently regarded the wives of B m with no 

friendly feeling. She absolutely refused to accord them the tri- 
fling deference that courtesy required, remarking that the sur- 
viving relict of the Father of Mormonism, should rather receive 
than bestow homage. This formed the subject of a good jest, 
and then no more vras said about it. 

But in our camp was one man, an elder, who had steadily, 

and from the first, opposed the election of B m to the 

leadership and temporal head of the church. Rumor hinted that 
he aspired to the dignity himself, but being foiled, grew envious 
and malicious towards his successful rival. However this might 



The Secret Enemy. 



be, be had been to B m like Mordecai sitting in the king's 

gate to Hainan, refusing to do him the outward homage which 
his heart refused. Doubtless, this was extremely unpleasant to 
one so tenacious of his dignity and honor, but he had the good 
sense to perceive that it would require punishment, if noticed, 
and this he was perfectly aware would place his enemy in a pro- 
minent situation that would augur well to his cause. 

Lawrence made his animosity and dislike felt in a thousand 
ways, though it would have been a difficult matter to express in 
plain language any one act that was reprehensible. Every 
intelligent observer knows, however, that almost every passion 
or emotion of the human breast can be expressed without words. 
Who has not read indifference, disgust, and dislike, as well as 
love and tenderness, in looks. Then, how much may be implied 
in a shrug, a tone of the voice, or glance of the eye ? What an 
insinuation of hate, or malice, or slander, may be couched under 
the smoothest words ; and how much more certain are such of 
doing harm, since we imbibe the impression without being 
exactly aware of what it is ? Then Lawrence was exceedingly 
cunning and diplomatic, affecting a taciturnity and reserve, altoge- 
ther foreign to his character. He always kept himself in the 
back-ground, said little, took no part in discussions or alterca- 
tions, and made himself familiar to no one, unless, indeed, we 
except Irene ; yet, few that looked into the deep unfathomable 
recesses of his eyes ; few that saw his brow wrinkled with 
thought, could keep from thinking that under this smooth exte- 
rior the pent-up fires of volcanic passion lay concealed. 
Recently he had paid more than ordinary attention to Irene. 
They had long conferences, took long walks, and associated 
together on all occasions. Mrs. Cook, though the friend and 
companion of Irene, was evidently a secondary personage with 
him. 

Mrs. Bradish, always awake to everything that was going on, 



272 



Female Life among the Mormoxs. 



observed this, and soon came to a definite conclusion, as to its 
tendency. Coming to our tent, one day, she exclaimed ; " Depend 
upon it, Mr. Ward, there is something wrong about Lawrence 
and Irene P 

" And what may it be ?" 

" I can't exactly tell, though time will develop." 
" That he wants a wife — a very natural want, to be sure," 
said Mr. Ward, laughing. 
" And the mitre ?" 

" I hardly think he has any designs on that." 

"Well, we shall see. The fact is," continued Mrs. Bradish, 

"that B m committed a great mistake, in not marrying 

Irene, himself. I told him so, at the time. She is excessively 
ambitious, and standing in so near a relation to the first Pro- 
phet, considers herself entitled to fill a corresponding place to 
the second." 

"Is it too late, yet?" 

" To be sure it is." 

"Think so r 

" I know it. Yesterday, as in duty bound, I communicated 
my suspicions to him. He affected to treat the matter with 
indifference, though I could see that he really felt concern. 
When I mentioned Irene, and her former connection with the 
sainted dead, he smiled, and inquired if I supposed Irene consid- 
ered herself insulted by his neglect ; to which I replied in the 
affirmative: 

" ' Well/ he answered, complacently, ' heaven has already 
bestowed upon me three wives, and when we arrive at the 
Promised Land, I design to propose for another ; but, rather 
than have any difficulty about that, I will propose for Irene, 
likewise.' 

" '* ft is too late/ I replied ; ' she would certainly refuse 
you.' 



Dissatisfaction Broods in Secret. 2T3 



" He lifted his eyes in astonishment. 

" 1 ~Now, she would/ I continued ; ' four or five months ago, 
it would have been different.' 

" I saw that he was piqued, as he answered : ' Well, we shall 
see/ and walked off. And he did see. He went that very 
evening, and besought her to become his wife." 

" And she refused him ?" inquired Mr. Ward. 

" Yes — scornfully." 

" B -m has gained the ill-will of several of the party," said 

Mr. Ward. " He is, in fact, both selfish and obstinate." 

It need scarcely be said, that there were murmurs, "not loud, 
but deep," when we began to retrace our march. 

"I thought," said Harmer, " that we were going wrong, but, 
wrong or right, as the Prophet, there, urged his Revelations, I 
concluded that he might see where they would lead him." 

Fan Simpkins asserted that it made no difference to her ; it 
certainly did not to Ethleen, whose lover was continually beside 
her ; but the others exceedingly regretted that even a day's 
travel should be spent in vain. It had been the custom of 
B m to point out our direction, though, previous to his rup- 
ture with Harmer, he had been guided by his knowledge and 
experience of the country, but even that was rather limited. 

The Indian, for a valuable consideration, undertook to be our 
guide to the Bear River Yalley. He was a tall, athletic fellow, 
speaking English imperfectly, and professing great regard for 
the whites. Though he performed his duty manfully, pointing- 
out the course, and assisting to remove obstructions, many of 
the more zealous Mormons considered it a great humiliation, to 
be necessitated to receive assistance from a heathen and idolater. 
Irene made herself very busy in disseminating and arguing such 
sentiments. Lawrence said nothing, at least publicly, though 
the two had several private conversations, of long contin- 
uance. 

12* 



2T4 Female Life among the Mormons. 



At length, night came on. We made our encampment, and 
prepared supper. While we were eating, a loud, wild shriek 
was heard. Instantly starting to my feet, I ran out, and met 
Emily, just coming to tell me that Lawrence was dead — that he 
died very suddenly, after having informed Irene that such an 
event awaited him, and requesting of her to be laid out in the 
sacred garments of Smith, as a revelation had informed him, 
that in that manner he would be restored to life. 

I was not in the least astonished at this. Indeed, I had wit- 
nessed so much humbugery and jugglery, that I could not be 
surprised at anything, though I did wonder what new phase of 
deception was under way, 

"The plot is developing/' said Mrs. Bradish, when informed of 
the circumstance. " I want to see the dead man — where is he ? 77 

" In that tent, yonder, with Irene, 77 said a bystander. 

Mrs. Bradish visited the dead man, but soon returned. 

" He is no more dead than I am,' 7 she said. "He has brought 
on a state of syncope, or trance. Any one can do it, who 
pleases to, though, probably, some persons easier than others. 7 ' 

" I never heard of such a thing. 77 

" Well, I have, and seen it, too,' 7 she answered. N I was once 
acquainted with a man, who laid a wager that he would die and 
come to life again. Some laughed ; others were horror-stricken, 
at what they denominated his presumption and impiety. I 
determined to watch him closely. Having a mattress, he lay 
down on his back, folded his hands across his breast, and then 
remained perfectly still. After a few minutes, there was, evi- 
dently, a sinking of the system ; the pulse rapidly declined ; the 
heart beat slow and heavily, and the breathing grew shorter 
and shorter, until it finally ceased. Then the extremities became 
cold ; the limbs stiff and rigid ; the under-jaw dropped ; the 
eye-winkers partially opened, revealing the ball turned upwards ; 
and all the symptoms were those of death. 7 ' 



The Sacred Garments. 



215 



" Were you not frightened ?" 

" I was surprised and astonished, beyond measure ; the more 
so, when, after lying in this state four or five hours, there were 
evident marks of returning animation. The countenance, which 
had been livid, gradually resumed its natural color ; the eyes 
slowly opened, and the breathing became regular. After this, 
he recovered rapidly, sat up, and asked for food. Upon being 
questioned, he said that he could produce that state, at any 
time, merely by a strong effort of the will." 

" But what inducement could Lawrence have, to produce this 
state f? 

" In what light would you regard a man, who had risen from 
the dead P 

" As something wonderful, remarkable 5 something to be 
vevered and honored." 

""That is a sufficient solution of his motives. He requests the 
^rments of Smith to be put on him, that is to give his waken- 
ing the character of a miracle. Then he will have to relate the 
wonderful scenes he has passed through, and the surprising revela- 
tions that have been made to him. This will give him the popu- 
larity that he desires, and I greatly fear will lead to a division in 
the church." 

** This might partly be avoided by refusing to permit the 
sacred garments to be put on him," said Mr. Ward. " But I 

Scarcely imagine that B m would listen to anything I would 

say." 

*' Whether or not he listens to me, I mean to tell him," said 
Mrs. Bradish, and she started off. 
In a short time she returned. 
"Well, what result ?" I inquired. 

" After I had informed B m of my suspicions, he went to 

the tent where Lawrence lay ; Mrs. Cook sat at his feet sobbing, 
and Irene had buried her face in a remarkably dry handkerchief, 



216 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



A large concourse of people, and several elders were standing 
or sitting around. The sacred garments had been removed from 
their perfumed resting-place, and were hanging up to air, prepa- 
ratory to being put on the dead man, agreeably to his request. 

Without saying a word B m walked into the tent, the 

assembled company involuntarily doing obeisance, which he coolly 
acknowledged, and then proceeded straight to the garments, 
gathered them up in his arms, and carried them off, before the 
spectators became fully aware of his intentions. He knew very 
well," she continued, " that there was no other way by which lie 
could get them. They'll have a hard time to outwit him." 

" Did they send for the garments afterwards ?" 

" To be sure they did ; and Irene went herself, and coaxed, 
threatened, and scolded, but all to no purpose." 

" He wouldn't give them up ?" 

" Not he ; he told her that they were the property of the 
church, and that himself, as the head of the church, was their 
proper keeper. Then she raved and stormed like a fury, called 
him a thief, and demanded to know, by what right he refused to 
permit the miraculous virtues in the garments to be tested." 

" And what did B m say V 

11 Nothing at all. He sat perfectly calm and collected, reading 
his Bible, as if nothing had happened to disturb his serenity." 

After exhausting all her efforts to no purpose, she went back 
to the tent, and watched beside the sleeper. The next morning 
he began to recover slowly, exactly as Mrs. Bradish had pre- 
dicted, but tlie absence of the consecrated garments divested 
his reanimation of the character of a miracle, though it did not 
prevent his relating a wonderful vision, in which he stated that 
he had seen Smith, and received information, that the founder 
of Mormonism was greatly concerned that the affairs of the 
Church had fallen into such improper hands, and finally concluded 
by asserting that he had been chosen and delegated to lead the 



Mrs. Bkadish Declines the Honor. 271 

saints to their destination. This announcement was evidently 
premature ; no one seconded the measure, or seemed prepared to 
accept him in that capacity. Cries of "No ! no !" resounded 
from all sides. " You are not a suitable person ; you shall not 
be our leader." 

" What God hath cleansed, you should not consider common 
or unclean," he said, " my vision J my restoration to life !" 
" What proof have we of that ?" 

" I have always heard that seeing was believing," he answered. 

" A great many people witnessed my dissolution, and now I 
stand here perfectly restored." 

" It was all a trick, a jugglery, we have heard of such things 
before." 

Mrs. Bradish had taken the pains to inform the whole com- 
pany, that cases of suspended animation might be voluntarily 
superinduced, and nothing probably, but her knowledge and 
foresight had saved the Mormon Church from a revolution, so far 

as a new leader was concerned, and B m from losing his 

dignified position in the Mormon hierarchy. 

Overcome with gratitude, and probably thinking that such 
services merited a distinguished reward, he came to visit her 
that evening, and make his acknowledgments. After a long 
prefatory harangue, he said : — ■ 

" There is but one reward, my dear madam, which I can offer 
you, that is at all commensurate with the very important service 
you have rendered me, and it is altogether uncertain, whether 
or not that will meet your approbation." 

Mrs. Bradish raised her eyes in astonishment, but finally 
remarked, that she neither wished nor expected a reward, having 
acted from the sole consciousness of duty, and being fully satis- 
fied with the approbation of her conscience. 

" That may sound well enough for you, madam, though it will 
hardly do for me. I do not choose to lie under unpaid obliga- 



2?8 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



tions to any one. It scarcely becomes me; and so I must at 

least make you an offer." 

" An offer," said the lady, " what kind of an offer ?" 
" An offer of marriage, to be sure." 
" Of marriage to whom ?" 

*■* To myself," he answered,, " but I see you despise me." 

" Far from it, my dear sir," she said, offering her hand. "And 
yet I doubt much, whether a marriage between us would con" 
tribute to the happiness of either. You have three wives 
already." 

"And that should rather be an inducement to you, than 
otherwise." 

Mrs. Bradish smiled a meaning smile. "I fear," she said) 
" that my entrance into your household might not be relished by 
its present inmates." 

> And what of that?" he replied, "you should be the first 
and greatest among them." 

" No ; that privilege belongs of right to the first wife." 

" The husband has the liberty of conferring it on any one he 
pleases." 

" The husband may assume that right, but I conceive that 
such an assumption of prerogative is unjust." 

"The husband is the head of the wife; her temporal and 
eternal salvation depends on him." 

Mrs. Bradish, though she had taught the same lesson to me 
and others, seemed to shrink when it was brought back to her. 
Then bursting into a laugh, she said, " You see, good brother, 
that we cannot agree even in a short conversation, and though I 
feel greatly flattered by your good opinion, must decidedly and 
at once decline your proposal." 

" I have at least proved my gratitude," he said. 

" Certainly, certainly; no one will dispute that." 

" And we are still to be friends, the same as formerly ?" 



The Promised Land. 



" Indeed, I hope so." 

And the two separated, both better suited, and much happier 
than if they had been affianced lovers. 

After a somewhat toilsome march over a rugged and broken 
country, we came at length to level, dry, uninteresting plains. 
Here we struck a trail, which our guide informed us, led directly 
to the Great Salt Lake, through a well-watered country, where 
fine timber and some game abounded. Our Indian guide, whose 
knowledge of the country was much more exact and accurate 
than that of Harmer or Buckley, or even both put together, 
related many wild and beautiful stories of the different rivers, 
with their wild wooded islands, and roaring rapids. Under his 
guidance, we progressed finely, and entered at length the high 
and broken country, which terminates in the Utah chain of 
mountains. 

After several days' travel, in which nothing remarkable occur- 
red, we crossed a mountain ridge at a pass of great elevation, 
and descended immediately into the picturesque and fertile 
valley of Bear River. From the summit of this pass, we had an 
extensive view over a broken and mountainous region, whose 
rugged appearance was greatly increased by the smoky weather 
through which the broken ridges were darkly and dimly seen. 
The ascent to the summit of the gap resembles, in many charac- 
teristics, the pass of the Alleghanies ; and the descent on the 
western side, though rather precipitous, was tolerably good. 

We were now entering a region which, for us, presented 
unusual interest. The Mormon Land of Promise, the Home of 
the Faithful, where they would be secure from the encroachments 
of the heathen ; the Holy Place, where the saints should build 
up a kingdom, and where Christ should descend to dispense the 
joys of millenium blessedness, during his reign of a thousand 
years. All unpleasant thoughts were merged in the joyous 
anticipation of ending our journey so soon. The errors of 



2S0 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



B — — ni were forgiven and forgotten, but the good Indian 
received a substantial tok^n of our gratitude. 

But independent of these considerations, the Great Salt Lake 
possessed, for me, a strange and extraordinary interest. It 
formed one of the most remarkable features in the geography of 
the country, and was the salient point around which centered 
innumerable traditional tales of hunters and travellers. Though 
Buckley had never visited its shores, he contended, that, accord- 
ing to accounts, it had no visible outlet, but that somewhere on 
its surface was a dreadful whirlpool, by which its waters 
descended, through subterranean passages, into the ocean. 
This Harmer disputed, and the Indian positively contradicted. 
However, it formed a theme for innumerable discussions, in 
which the women frequently joined. 

"]So outlet," said Mrs. Beardsley, "just like the Dead Sea in 
Asia ; not just like it either, for Elder Scarow used to say that 
was the mouth of Hell." 

" The mouth of Hell ?" ejaculated Harmer. 

" Certainly, but you needn't be so surprised about that ; 
there's a Hell, to be sure, you won't pretend to deny that ; and 
there must be somewhere to get into it. This Elder Scarow 
declared to be that horrible sulphurous lake, where the wicked 
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah stood." 

" And how did he know ?" 

" Oh, he had a dream, or vision, that told him so." 

" Well, who knows but what this lake communicates with the 
same place ? Of course it would be necessary to have a passage 
on each continent," said Harmer. 

Emily looked reproachfully towards him, and said : 

" How can you talk so ?" 

Harmer only laughed, 

" I don't see anything wrong in that," said Charley Moore, 
" the supposition is perfectly natural." 



The Startling Missive. 



281 



The old lady, however, seemed to think that they were mak- 
ing a jest of her, and retired. 

Presently a little girl, the daughter of a woman in our com- 
pany, who waited on one of B m's wives, came with a note 

for Emily. I watched her countenance, and perceived that 
when she rose to obey the summons it contained, she appeared 
excessively agitated. 

Harmer noticed this, their eyes met, and she thrust the letter 
into his hand. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

OTHER EMIGRANTS. 

THE valley of Bear River is from three to four miles wide, 
bounded on either side by mountainous ridges, rising sud- 
denly from the plain. Shut out from the world, it reminded me 
continually of the happy valley, where the royal race of Abyssi- 
nia exhausted their lives in a round of endless enjoyment. 
These ridges, in some places, were sterile and naked ; in others, 
they were thickly wooded with dark pine forests. Sometimes a 
stream would smoothly descend along a narrow, fertile, and pic- 
turesque valley ; and sometimes mountain torrents would tumble 
impetuously over the rocks. Elk and antelope were abundant, 
and some of the hunters came suddenly on a trail of wagons and 
horses, by which we knew that another company of emigrants 
had passed. 

"They are of our people/ 7 said B m, "bless -the Lord." 

"1 am not certain of that, though it may be the case," said 
Mrs. Bradish. 



282 Female Life among the Mormons. 



Journeying on over a small hill, we came suddenly in sight of 
them, encamped iu a lovely situation, and joined them near 
night-fall. As our leader had anticipated, they proved to be 
Mormons, travelling to the promised land. We had a joyful 
meeting then, and the united companies sang the Hallelujah 
Chorus, with infinite animation. They had started from St. 
Louis a month subsequent to ourselves, by which we learned 
how much, and how far we had travelled out of our way. 

They informed us that other companies of emigrants, princi- 
pally Mormons, were reposing in a beautiful valley a short 
distance off, with whom they designed to unite. Our party 
concluded to do the same, and crossing a clear stream of water, 
about fifty yards in breadth, we ascended a wide ravine, between 
remarkable mountains, rising abruptly on either side. A few 
miles further on, we passed the point of a narrow spur, and 
descended into a valley, whose picture of home beauty touched 
our hearts. For several miles along the river, the edge of the 
wood was dotted with emigrant wagons, whose white covers 
reflected iu the sun. They were collected in groups at different 
camps, where the smoke was rising lazily from the fires, around 
which the women were busily engaged in preparing the evening 
meal, the children rolling and tumbling in the grass, and the 
cattle feeding in quiet security. They had been reposing for 
several days in this delightful valley, in order to recruit the 
strength of their animals, on its luxuriant pasturage, after their 
long and toilsome travels, and prepare them to finish their 
journey. 

B m passed around among the differeut encampments, and 

received the homage graciously awarded to him as their spiritual 
father. He rejoiced greatly in the goodly number of his children 
thus happily brought together, and compared the different divi- 
sions of them to the different tribes of the Israelites. They had 
come from several States, from Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and 



The Prophet Discourses on Polygamy. 283 



Beaver Island. " And they shall continue to come," said 

B in, "from every part of the world — from Europe and 

Asia, and the islands of the sea. And we will build up a king- 
dom to the Lord, with a temple to which the nations shall come 
and worship." 

It was proposed to hold a meeting in the open air, at which 

B m was invited to preach. He consented, and the people 

all gathered, men, women and children. The pulpit was a plat- 
form raised on a wagon, beneath the wide-spreading branches 
of a green tree. The subject of his discourse, polygamy, which 
he attempted to justify from Scripture, and the example of the 
ancient patriarchs. His reasoning was something like this : 
That if it was right to have one wife, it was" right to have two, 
or even more, since actions in themselves morally wrong — for 
instance murder, theft, or similar crimes — are not allowed, even 
in one instance. That the law of the United States, which 
allowed one wife to every man, and denied his right to more 
than one, was highly tyrannical ; that in many cases the prac- 
tice of polygamy was attended with many benefits, especially in 
cases of sickness, and where household burdens could not be 
otherwise than troublesome and onerous ; that the purpose of 
marriage being the perpetuation of the human species, it fol- 
lowed that when the wife ceased bearing, or was otherwise inca- 
pable or unwilling to raise a family, it became the husband's 
duty to take another wife. This he proved by the example of 
Abraham and Jacob. David, he said, had several wives, yet 
the Lord never reproved him for it, and if it was right then, it 
remains so yet. 

This doctrine, though nothing new to me, excited the surprise 
and consternation of many women. They were not prepared for 
such a state of things. They had been converted to Mormon- 
ism by the missionaries whom Smith had sent out, with instruc- 
tions to deal only in the pure milk of the Gospel, by which he 



284 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



meant those parts of Mormonisni the most conformable to the 

generally-received opinions of the day, reserving the meat — such 
things as polygamy and spiritual wifeage — for those more 
advanced in the knowledge of the blessings designed for the 
Faithful. It was easy to perceive that these doctrines were 
rather unpalatable to the majority of the females, though the 
men seemed pleased, and many of them really exultant. Xot a 
few began immediately to direct their glances where stood a 
bevy of blooming girls, and greatly to the chagrin of their com- 
panions, four or five passed directly over to them, and com- 
menced a conversation. 

While resting in this beautiful valley, the time to me passed 
happily. We were divided into messes, three or four families in 
a mess, each being provided with a fire and cooking utensils, 
placed a short distance from their tents. When all were stir- 
ring, at meal times, we presented a very lively and animated 
appearance. Some were cooking, others eating, others prepar- 
ing a temporary table, and yet others, somewhat behindhand, 
just kindling their fires. To borrow a fire was not at all uncom- 
mon. Some families did all their cooking at borrowed fires. 
Perhaps a little blue-eyed girl would come bounding fawn-like 
over the grass : 

" Mother wants to borrow your fire to get breakfast. Can 
she have it ?"' 
" Oh, certainly. 7 ' 

" And your pot, and tea-kettle ?" 

"Very well." 

" The spider, too V 1 

"I reckon."' 

And the girl goes bounding back to report the success of her 
message. 

Then a big boy, in tattered trowsers, and with a brimless hat, 
comes marching along with a huge armload of brush to replenish 



A Scene at " Meal-Time." 



285 



the blaze, followed by a woman in a gingham sun-bonnet, and 
coarse calico dress, bearing a great fat baby in one arm, and a 
dish containing some slices of raw meat with the other. "Within 
speaking distance, the salutation would be given : 

" Good morning, Mrs. Ward, I fear that we are putting you 
to a great deal of trouble, but it's so much handier to get break- 
fast by a fire already made, than it is to have to kindle one for 
yourself, that I told papa, seeing as how we were late, that I'd 
just come round here and get something to eat, though it's very 
little that we've got. How are you on it for coffee ?" 

" I have a little left, a very little, that I am saving until 
some of us get sick." 

" Come, John, don't be all day filling that tea-kettle. Sit 
still bubby there on the grass. A little coffee did you say ? — 
Well, it would do me good to even see some. Dear ! dear ! 
only to think what we have come to ; not a grain of coffee or 
particle of tea, and compelled to drink this slop — ain't it too 
bad, considering how we used to have all and everything ?" 

" It's neighbor's fare." 

" So I suppose ; but that don't help it any. There, John, 
hang that kettle as it ought to be over the blaze. Now go and 
get the leaves I gave you yesterday, put them in the tea-pot, 
and bring it here ; the kettle will soon boil. There bub, you'r 
too noisy. I must get the meat broiling." 

The emigrants supplied the place of tea, with a kind of wild 
sage, that made a palatable and nutritious drink. 

The meat is put broiling, but " bubby" is determined to be 
noticed. 

" Here, John," screams the mother, " come take 'bub;' 
what's that you are saying ? — shan't, eh ? Don't talk your 
sauce to me. Come along, I say, here ; I can't leave this meat 
a minute ; 'twill burn up, certainly." 



286 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



John, however, wouldn't come, and " bubby," shrieking with 
madness, rolled about on the grass. 

Meanwhile, our breakfast is eaten — perhaps some boiled 
kamas or bitter root for bread, with fried or broiled venison, the 
flesh of the elk or antelope, and I rise up to put things " to 
rights." " Do you want this spider ?" I inquired, raising my voice 
to the highest pitch, in consequence of "bubby's" excessive din. 

" Xo," she answers. " I thought I should when Malvinai 
Matilda came round here, but I finally concluded that we'd 
drink our tea, and eat this meat, and leave the rest for dinner. 
Such good bread, and pound cakes and cookies as we used to 
have. Oh, dear !" 

" We suffer great deprivations," I said, removing the spider. 

" Oh, I nerer thought it was half so far. Do hush your 
racket. What on earth ails the child ? — why, I cannot hear 
myself think. But what did you think of the sermon t'other 
night ? I declare, I never was so beat." 

" Thought it pretty good, considering the subject." 

" And so did papa. He seemed really delighted with it, and 
actually declared that he meant to have another wife before a 
month." 

" 'Another wife, indeed !' I answered, sharply. 'I guess one 
wife is quite as many as you can take care of.' 

M 1 Oh, I want 'em to take care of me,' he said, laughing. 

" ' Well, if you get another wife I won't do a hand's turn for 
you,' I replied. 

" ' Yes you would, you'd love me all the better, and be in 
constant strife with the others, to see who could do the most.' 

" * Don't you believe anything of that kind but, here, I've 
been talking, and let my meat burn. It's done, I believe," and, 
putting it in the dish, she took up "bubby," who had screamed 
himself into a good humor, and walked off. 



Sport and Scandal. 



28T 



And such scenes were transpiring through all the valley. 
Meats were being dressed in an infinite variety of ways, or 
being eaten without seasoning or stuffing. Here, a group were 
using their utmost endeavors to masticate a boiled wild goose ; 
and there, another company, seated on the grass, like so many 
Turks, were feasting on a loin of elk. Some were bearing 
water from the river ; others carrying wood from the forest ; 
some were talking politics, and discussing the temporal kingdom 
of Christ ; while others were speculating on the quality of the 
soil, and its adaptation to agricultural produce. 

The breakfast was readily got over, as there was little to 
cook, and consequently it was soon eaten. This done, the men 
sallied out over the hills to explore the country, some carrying 
their guns, others their fishing tackle, and some with neither. 
The young people amused themselves with roaming through the 
meadows, to search for edible roots. Lawrence and Irene, arm 
in arm, took a long walk, as Mrs. Bradish said, to plot new mis- 
chief ; while the women gathered into knots and groups, talked 
about their babies, the recent sermon on matrimonial affairs, or 
fresh bits of neighborhood gossip ; for no life is more favorable 
to scandal than the one we had been leading. 

" That's a fine child of your'n, Mrs. Dallas,' 7 said one of those 
milk-and-water women, of whom I am always afraid, they look 
so sleek and beautiful, yet tiger-like withal. 

" Eight months," said Mrs. Dallas, " and he's got four teeth." 

" Four teeth ! bless me, how smart he is, and beautiful too," 
she continued. ''Well, I always did admire beautiful children." 

The infant Dallas was one of the ugliest specimens of child- 
hood, with little grey eyes, a pug nose, and red hair. Even the 
mother had never considered him beautiful before now. " Your 
husband never ought to think of taking another wife, while you 
bring him such beautiful children." 

The women were seated on a low bench. 



288 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" My husband take another wife !" said Mrs. Dallas, starting, 
v Does he think of such a thing V 

" I don't know how he can help thinking of it, after hearing 
that sermon. I'm thankful that I'm a widow." 

" I can't believe that my husband will ever want to insult me 
that way ; for 'twould be an insult, now, wouldn't it ?" 

" An insult ? I should think so." 

" The very thought of it makes me weep," said Mrs. Dallas, 
and she burst into tears. 

" I don't know as that will be the case, but then I shouldn't 
wonder if it was," said this prophetess of evil, and so, bidding 
the child comfort his mammy, and Mrs. Dallas not to care, she 
walked off. 

Mrs. Dallas was' one of those women who are always expect- 
ing evil and meeting trouble. She was very fond of her hus- 
band, and the words of this pretended friend filled her mind 
with the most dreadful apprehensions. When Mr. Dallas 
returned from the chase, he found her in tears, which she vainly 
strove to hide, and of which he determined to discover the 
cause. But all his tenderness and caresses were unavailing. 
She could not be the first to mention her horrible foreboding to 
him, and he left her at length, very much displeased. 

It need not be supposed, however, that all the females enter- 
tained similar views of polygamy. Some declared that they 
were perfectly willing for their husbands to avail themselves of 
the privilege, and take other wives if they saw fit. Others said 
they knew not what to think of it, though the majority, it 
must be confessed, were anything but pleased with the pro- 
position. 

When the young people returned from gathering roots, Emily 
came to our tent. I saw that she had been weeping, and 
inquired the cause. At first, she hesitated, but a little persua- 
sion overcame her reluctance, and she began : 



The Rejected Lover. 



289 



" You know, probably, that I received a note from B m 

the other day." 

" I knew that you received a note, and circumstances led me 
to infer that it came from him." 

"Well, he requested me to visit him immediately, as he 
wished to communicate with me on a subject of vital impor- 
tance. I guessed its import, and nerved myself for a scene. 

"The Mormon dignitary was seated in a large stuffed, and 
cushioned chair, with all the emblems of his dignity about him. 
He wore a long, loose robe, embroidered slippers, and a mitre, 
beneath which, his repulsive countenance showed to the greatest 
disadvantage. His wives retreated from the apartment at my 
approach ; and he motioned me to a seat on the stool at his 
feet. I sunk down upon it, glad to escape the burning gleam of 
his eyes, for his whole countenance glowed with the fervor, of an 
August noon. 

" ' You are very lovely,' he said, at length breaking the silence, 
and drawing back my head on his knee, he attempted to kiss me. 
I shrank from his touch, as from the sting of a serpent, and 
rising up, requested him to inform me of the business he wished 
to communicate, that I might depart. 

" 'Depart, indeed ; why no, my charmer, your home is hence- 
forth with me.' 

" 'No, sir,' I answered, 'you are mistaken there.' 

"His countenance grew dark with suppressed passion, 'It is 
my pleasure to take you for a wife,' he said. 

" ' But it is not my pleasure to receive you for a husband, 
you are well supplied with wives already.' 

" ' Not so well as I wish to be, and then it was revealed to me 
that I must take you.' 

" ' Nothing of the kind has been revealed to me, and until it 
is, I must persist in declining your offer.' 

" He seemed really surprised at my audacity, in placing myself 

13 



290 Female Life among the Mormons. 

in equality with him, and there was an expression in his counte- 
nance, and a gleam in his eye, that made me shudder. 

" ' And do women ever have revelations about these things?' 
he said, after a moment's silence. 

" ' I suppose so. I know of no reason why they should not/ 

" ' You require instruction, I see,' he said. 

" 'And shall be happy to receive it, provided it is of the right 
kind.' 

" ' And who shall be the judge of that V 
" 'Myself.' 

"He shook his head solemnly, and said, 'Your soul is in 
danger.' 

" ' And yours may be too, for what I know.' 

" I no longer feared, though I hated and despised him. 

" ' This is all folly on your part,' he said at length. ' As my 
wife, your temporal and eternal salvation will be secured. You 
will be safe from the power of the devil, and beyond the danger 
of ever falling away. It is for your own good that I desire this, 
and now will you refuse V 

'"I will.' 

" Again his countenance grew dark, and he inquired, 

" ' Do you not kuow that I possess the power to enforce your 
obedience ; that no one, especially a woman, may thwart my will 
with impunity ?' 

" ' But women have thwarted your will — Irene, Mrs. Bradish.' 

" ' Silence, I tell you, don't mention them to me,' he cried. 
1 These were different cases. It was mere expediency that 
influenced my conduct with regard to them, but you I have 
learned to love,' and he attempted to take my hand. 

" I withdrew it. 

" ' I see how it is,' he said. ' Harmer has been inveigling you 
into a connection with him. Is it not so ?' 

" ' By what right do you inquire ? I did not come here as to 



The Prophet Braved by a Woman. 



291 



a confessional. If the important business you named relates to 
this, you will please suffer me to depart.' 

" 'Not till you have answered me.' 

" 'Well, then, he has not inveigled me.' 

" ' Has he not asked you to become his wife V 

" ' He has.' 

" ' And you consented V 
" 1 1 did.' 

" 1 And you dare prefer him to me V 
1(1 1 dare.' 

" ' But don't you know, that no marriage can be consummated 
among our people without my consent V 

" 1 1 was not aware that such was the case.' 

" A gleam of malicious pleasure twinkled in his eyes, as he 
answered, 'Well, it is the case, and you may rest assured that 
I shall never consent to your marriage with him. Heaven, 
everything, forbids it. And now I command you, by the right 
in me vested — a right which extends to the control and supervi- 
sion of every female among us — that you cease to associate with 
him. Do you hear V 

" ' I hear.' 

" ' And" will you obey V 
" I made no answer. 

" He looked threateningly, and muttered ' Beware !' 

" ' Beware of what V I said, affecting a calmness and uncon- 
cern, that I was far from feeling. 

" ' Child,' he answered, and his countenance grew darker, and 
his voice sterner, ' what use is there in pretending all this igno- 
rance ? You know very well, that you are solely and wholly in 
my power. You have no parents, no relatives. These people 
with whom you live, have no legal claim over you, neither can 
they prevent the exercise of my undoubted right, to do with you 
as I please.' 



292 



Female Life among the Mdrmons. 



" ''But am I not under the protection of the laws of the land V 
" ' Laws of the land ! now that is too good — laws of the land ! 
indeed, what laws of the land are there, but my will ? What 
State ? what government has power or authority here ? No ! 
my beauty, set your heart at rest in that quarter. Here I do 
as I please with my own. I consider myself amenable to no 
law, but the code of Mormon, and that places all authority ia 
my hands.' 

"'And you,' I said, 'what, are you, a leader of the saints, 
a priest and prophet of the Most High, thus taking advantage 
of my unprotected situation, to force me to a connection which 
my soul abhors ? For shame, were you ten times more powerful 
t,han you be, I would hate and defy you.' 

" ' Because you confide in my generosity not to injure you.' 

" ' Far from it. You have no generosity ; I know that you 
are as incapable of one true honorable feeling, as you are capable 
of perpetrating the grossest villanies ; but because I can bear 
all the penalties of your wrath, whatever they may be, with 
pleasurable satisfaction, compared to the endurance of a state of 
vilest concubinage, such as you wish to impose upon me.' 

" ' And you call the holy state of marriage concubinage V 

" ' I do, such marriage as you propose. Without love, with- 
out sympathy, without congeniality of mind, or appropriateness 
of age ; sensuality on one side and compulsion on the other, 
what else could it be V and I looked him directly in the face. 

" ' I see/ he said at length, ' I see that the true import of the 
marriage institution is altogether beyond your comprehension. 
These sympathies and congenialities of which you speak, are 
nothing, and only exist in the distempered fancy of silly young 
women. But you need a husband to protect and support you ; 
a husband by whom you can be saved from perdition. As my 
wife, you will be honored and. honorable ; servants shall do your 
bidding— ah, and slaves, too.' 



V 



Destiny will Decide. 293 

" ' Slaves V 

" ' Yes, slaves — negroes. Is there anything wonderful in that V 
" ' Not that I am aware of, only I don't know how yon are to 
get them.' 

" 1 I can tell you. I left word with a slave-dealer in St. 
Louis, to send on thither a large gang of slaves. I presume 
they are coming now. H&rmer cannot afford you any luxury ; 
why will you cling to him V 

" ' Because I am fond of his society, and have promised to 
become his wife. Let me go, I beseech you !' 

" ' Well, go ; but remember what I said. I do not desire 
your final answer, now ; that, I shall demand in one month from 
this date ; but the wife of Harmer, you shall never be. You 
may go to the grave, but never to his bed.' 

" ' Destiny may decide otherwise,' I answered, and hastened 
away. 

"And now, Mrs. Ward," said Emily, " do you suppose that 
this man possesses the omnipotence he imagines, or would have 
us believe ?" 

" That he possesses great influence, in many matters, is cer- 
tain," I replied, " as he says, we are beyond the administration 
of the civil law ; and yet, I should suppose that there were good 
and upright men among the Mormons, who would resent any 
great infringement of individual rights ; especially, when that 
individual was a helpless female orphan, and on that account, if 
no other, entitled to consideration and regard." 

f ■ I never will be his wife, come what will !" said Emily ; " I'll 
run away to the wild Indians, first !" 

" Wha + does Harmer say ?" 

" He raved like a madman." 

" I should suppose as much." 

" And now, Mrs. Ward, what am I to do ?" 

" The same as if nothing had occurred." 



294 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" And manifest the same preference for Harmer ?" 

"Just the same. He has given you a month to decide. 
Many things may happen in that time, of which, at present, we 
have not the faintest perception, and which may materially 
change his mind, or place you beyond his power." 

" Heaven grant that it may be so !" said Emily, fervently. 

Mr. Ward and several others came in, and the conversation 
changed. 



E were alone in the desert — men, women and children. 



yy Many of us inspired by the most resolute fanaticism ; 
others, imbued with sentiments of religious veneration for their 
leader ; and all pledged to support a cause that, whether good 
or bad, whether conformable to their feelings or not, could not 
fail to redound to the glory of the Mormon hierarchy, and pro- 
mote the interests and views of the church. Doubtless, the 
Mormon exodus was a matter of rejoicing to the enemies of 
that people, or it may be that they regarded the matter with 
absolute indifference : though to that very fact, is owing their 
unaccuontable prosperity and rapid increase. That they stood 
alone, with no neighboring communities of a different faith, and 
possessing a social system founded on radically different princi- 
ples, whose influence might retard their growth, or prevent the 
full development of their designs, was remarkably in their favor. 
They were at liberty to form such laws as suited them ; to estab- 
lish precedents and decisions, conformable to their own views ; 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 



A HOME IN THE DESERT. 




The Source of Mormon Stability. 



295 



and, above all, the utter impossibility of escape or appeal, exer- 
cised a wonderful influence over the dissatisfied, and aided; more 
than anything else, in causing them to abide by their fate, and 
conform to the circumstances in which they were placed. Had 
injured wives possessed the chance of redress by law, or even the 
opportunity of flying from the scene of such licentious habits, 
polygamy, even in its infancy, would have received a death-blow ; 
but these, the ones most interested in its suppression, and upon 
whom fell the burdens of its intolerable evils, were constrained 
to abide by it, and, in most cases, without murmur or complaint. 

The great influence which Mormonism has acquired in Utah, 
and the power by which it will yet make itself felt in the world, 
is solely attributable to the fact, that it has been left free to 
spread and develop itself, without any counteracting influences, 
which could not have been the case in a State where the laws 
were already established. In Utah, it became the nucleus, 
around which society formed itself, and thus entered, at once, 
into all the organizations of domestic and political affairs. The 
Mormons, from the first, were settled in communities ; they were 
bound to each other by human sympathies, neighborhood attach- 
ments, and the ties of church relationship ; consequently, there 
was no waste of influence ; but a centre was created, possess- 
ing an attractive force, which could not fail of modeling, to a 
certain extent, all that came within its circle. 

The Mormon exodus, though not regarded at the time in 
such a light, was a missionary effort on a grand scale, and in 
the most effective form. The Mormon Church, thus established, 
became the germ of a city, and planted the seed of all its evils 
and abominations around it. How far into the future this 
movement will reach, in its influence upon the destinies of the 
western portion of our continent, or even upon our Republic, it 
is impossible at this time to decide. 

But it need not be supposed that all this has been accom- 



296 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



plished without effort, and labor, too, of the most zealous and 
untiring description ; and, in this respect, at least, other denom- 
inations of Christians might profit by their example. Settled 
in this wilderness, they have not only sustained themselves, but 
sent missionaries into every quarter of the world, and this with- 
out any of those appeals through the press, and without any of 
that system of begging which others habitually employ. 

Thus, in a few years, Utah has become the centre of the 
Mormon world, the basis of a powerful State, and the strong- 
hold of a church differing from Christianity in all its essential 
points. 

Looking back over the past, it scarcely seems possible that 
so much has been accomplished, in so few years, or that such 
great additions are constantly being made to the Mormon fra 
ternity. It is really marvellous in our eyes that, since we sat 
down, a band of hungry, half-starved emigrants, beside the Salt 
Lake, such great changes should have been wrought, as well in 
the physical features of the country as in the condition of our 
people. One, from an uncultivated desert, has become a region 
of great capabilities, budding and blossomiug like the rose ; 
while the other, for poverty have found riches, for weakness 
have acquired strength, are no longer despised, but feared. 

Did we think of such a consummation, as we sat that night 
by the camp-fires, and meditated over the dangers we had 
passed or escaped ? I, for one, did not. Blind and ignorant, 
indeed, we are, and incapable of perceiving what may be the 
result of our own actions. I had never been a believer in Mor- 
monism, yet I loved my husband, and for his sake was willing to 
abide anywhere. Time, and the participation of danger and dif- 
ficulty together, had wonderfully increased my affection for 
him. He was kind, considerate, and gentle, in his deportment 
towards me, and, though fully aware of the deceit that had been 
practised upon me in the beginning of our acquaintance, I 



The New City. 



291 



readily forgave him that, and would have forgiven him ten times 
more, ia consideration of my happiness, in loving and being 
beloved. 

For many days after our arrival in Utah valley, the camp 
presented a busy spectacle. The site of the city, which was to 
be the centre of Mormonism, was first to be chosen ; then the 
lots to be measured off, subsequent to building houses. But 
the work progressed bravely, for all went at it with a hearty 
good will, and, in much less time than had been anticipated, we 
had comfortable homes. At first, two or three families were 
domiciled in one house, then the houses were increased to the 
number of the families, and finally, as the system of polygamy 
came into practice, the houses required to be multiplied to an 
almost indefinite extent. These houses were generally built of 
the adobe materials, though some were of logs, and large or 
small, according to the ability and taste of the possessor. Some 
of these dwellings were reared in picturesque and romantic 
situations, on the borders of beautiful streams, or the slight 
elevations of grassy*knolls. Others were in the midst of broad 
fertile meadows, and all had an air of security and comfort that 
rarely belongs to a new settlement. Though far from the bor- 
ders of the civilized world, and beyond the reach of railroads 
or steamboats, we possessed the necessaries, and in many cases 
the luxuries, of life. The abominable system of Smith, to pur- 
chase nothing from the heathen, had been generally relaxed. 
Indeed, Mormonism, under his successor, had taken an entire 
new phase. Most of the tricks and juggleries and impostures 
had been abandoned, though probably because there was no 
further occasion for their exercise. Traffic with the heathen was 
encouraged, on condition that we always got the best of the 
bargain, thus spoiling them, as the Israelites were said to have 
spoiled the Egyptians. Added to this, other companies of emi- 
grants were continually arriving, who, generally speaking, were 

13* 



298 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



abundantly supplied with groceries ; for, it should be remem- 
bered that several years had elapsed, between the first propaga- 
tion of the Mormon creed, by Smith, and the exodus to Dese- 
ret, during which time many of the Mormon elders had done a 
large business in making converts. These had not been 
included in the restrictions imposed by the immediate presence 
of the Prophet, and, consequently, they came to us abundantly 
furnished with all things essential to living, with the exception 
of flour and potatoes. As a substitute, however, we obtained 
various edible roots, which, being baked, or otherwise prepared, 
were wholesome and nutritious. 

Mrs. Bradish was lively and active as ever, and it will readily 
be believed that she found enough to do. Though always curi- 
ous, and sometimes impertinent, she was really very useful, won- 
derfully attached to the church, and ready, at all times, to make 
any sacrifice to promote its welfare. Mrs. Beardsley was hap- 
pily domiciled with her daughter, with the privilege of knitting 
for all the village. Her needles were never idle for a moment ; 
never was woman so hurried before, for great numbers of little 
boys and girls were passing her door every day with naked feet ; 
while Mrs. Stillman, sen., found a source of infinite vexation 
and trouble in the derelictions of her husband from what she 
believed to be his matrimonial duty. 

" I declare," she said to me, a few days after our arrival, " I 
am completely bewildered ; that detestable Fan Simpkins is the 
torment of my life. She told me to my face yesterday that she 
was Mr. Stillman's wife as_ much as I was ; and that I might 
help myself if I could." 

" Well, have they been married, Mr. Stillman and her ?" 

" That is what I cannot find out. When I question him 
about it, he answers indifferently or harshly ; that it is none 
of my business, or something similar, and I can't nor won't 
bear it," 



An Old Fool and a Young Flirt. 



299 



" But what will you do ?" 

" I would do auythiug almost to free myself from such a 
curse," she answered, "it is dreadful, horrible; a man of his 
age to be led astray by a blooming girl. Then, too, all she 
wants of him is to get his money." 

" Think so V 

11 1 know it • you see he used to always give me his money to 
keep, and not a cent of it was ever laid out unbeknown to me. 
Now he manages entirely different ; I am nobody to all intents 
and purposes. He never consults me on any subject, never 
gives me the money, never n 

" Oh well, Mrs. Stillman," I replied, " if that is all the grounds 
of complaint you possess, I don't see anything to prevent your 
happiness. Mr. Ward never gave me his money, or consulted 
me about his business, and yet I have been very happy." 

" But I dont like it." 

" It is a great thing, Mrs. Stillman, to conform to circum- 
stances, and the sooner the women of Utah learn that, the 
better for them." 

" But it is hard for old people to learn new lessons." 

" I know it is, and yet what else can you do ?" 

From my heart I pitied the old lady, she was near sixty years 
of age ; still good-looking and highly venerable in appearance. 

She had been accustomed to the exclusive love and veneration 
of her husband. For nearly forty years they had been asso- 
ciated in conjugal relations. She had been his adviser and 
comforter, and now he turned away, bewitched and fascinated 
with the charms of a younger face. Night after night she was 
left alone, day after day she saw him not. When he came, his 
visits were short, and he was utterly unlike his former self. 
Who shall describe her utter loneliness of heart, her sense of 
deep humiliation ; the harder to bear, because unexpected ? 

Leaving her to grieve and bemoan, we must take some further 



300 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



notice of B m. His bouse had been built in grand style, 

one hundred feet long, and sixty broad. 

"I advise all the brothers," he said, "to build large houses, 
in order to supply the wants of their increasing families. Each 
brother should take at least four or six wives, and raise up 
speedily a pure and perfect generation for the Lord. In no 
other way can the kingdom of the saints be so rapidly estab- 
lished." 

I presume that all felt the truth of this, but one inquired 
where the women was to come from. 

" The Lord will provide them, even as he gave Eve to Adam." 

" I hope, at any rate, it will not be by the same process." 

" No danger of it," said Charley Moore. 

" For my part," answered Harmer, " I would be satisfied with 
one wife," and he glanced at Emily. 

The look was not lost on the Prophet, and he turned away 
with a frowning countenance. 

"To judge from the size and appearance of his house," said 
Mrs. Bradish, " our leader intends to practise the precepts that 
he teaches, so far as raising a large family is concerned." 

" I should think so." 

"It is capable of entertaining four large families, at least." 
"He probably designs to live a la Turk; each wife and her 
family separate." 
" Most likely." 

" His three wives wouldn't do very well together. They 
quarrel desperately, and I understand that it requires all his 
authority to keep them within bounds." 

" Are they jealous of each other ?" 

" Not exactly, but each one wishes to take precedence of the 
others. The eldest fancies that her age entitles her to the 
place of honor. The youngest, because she is a beauty, and a' 
favorite ; and the middle-aged, on account of her wealth. They 



Evil Results of Polygamy. 



301 



•will not eat together, because each one wishes to sit at the 
head of the table ; each one also aspires to superintend and 
direct the affairs of the household, while the others perform the 
labor. The husband promises them, that wmen the slaves that 
he has ordered, arrive, they shall all "be exempt from household 
labor. That will probably make a difference, though it will 
scarcely remove all the heart-burnings and jealousies that render 
them miserable." 

" And which are the natural fruits of polygamy," 
" Not exactly the natural fruits," said Mrs. Bradish, " because 
several women of my acquaintance view the matter with perfect 
indifference. Mrs. Leach says that she would delight for her 
husband to take a new wife, so that he would allow her a sepa- 
rate maintenance ; that she had always worn the bonds of 
marriage as fetters, and would be glad at any moment to cast 
them off." 

"But if I understand the subject, the marriage of another 
wife by the husband, would not release her." 

" From his attentions it would, at any rate, in some degree." 
" Does she desire such a thing ?" 
" So she says." 

" Then she is certainly to be pitied." 

" Not so much as those who rise up in opposition to the over- 
mastering destiny, by which they will certainly be overwhelmed." 

" Then how can you, a woman, argue in favor of, and approve 
of a system that is destined to bring misery on your sex ?" 

" Your slowmess of apprehension, Mrs. Ward, is remarkable. 
It is not polygamy that renders them miserable, but the false 
and perverted view's in which they have been educated. The 
daughters of these very women, so outrageous against that 
system, will grow up accustomed to it, and incapable of perceiv- 
ing evil in it. It will neither offend their sease of right, nor 
seem degrading or humiliating. No one will shrink any more 



302 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



from being the third wife of a man, when the two former are 
living, than as though they were dead. It is custom and pub- 
lic opinion that regulate all these things. Under the Greek 
Empire it was considered disreputable to marry more than once. 
In more modern times, a man might lawfully take his twentieth 
wife, provided the nineteen were dead, which, in my view, is no 
better than to take the twentieth, the nineteen living." 

" Were you a wife, you would probably think differently." 

" Possibly, but the business of marrying and giving in mar- 
riage goes on rapidly at any rate, and will, probably, while there 
remains a marriageable unmarried female in the district." 

" To me it looks extremely scandalous to see old withered 
white-haired men, walking the streets with young brides hang- 
ing to their arms, while at the same time an aged female, their 
true and lawful wife, is bewailing their absence at home." 

"That may be, because N you have not become accustomed to 
it." 

"No, Mrs. Bradish," I answered, "you greatly mistake. It 
is the inconsistency of such a course, and even were it lawful, it 
cannot be expedient and proper." 

"There you differ from Abraham, and Jacob, and David, and 
Solomon, who all thought polygamy expedient and proper, and 
practised it without reserve." 

" Hush I here comes Elder Lucas." 

The brother mentioned advanced to the door, and spoke. We 
invited him in. At first he refused, but Mrs. Bradish insisted. 

" Yes, Brother Lucas, you must come in, and tell us about 
that wedding you went to the other night. There's been so 
much talk about it, that I am dying to know the particulars." 

" Well, I've a fancy that it wouldn't please you much if you 
did know. It didn't me, however. I would much rather have 
been away : I'll never undertake such a job again for any man 
living." 



Mrs. Haley in Trouble. 



303 



" Why, what was there so dreadful about it ?" 

" Well, you see," he answered, " Brother Haley has contem- 
plated taking another wife for some time, but could never screw 
up his courage sufficiently to tell Harriet of it, and so he comes 
to me the very day on which he was to be married at night, and 
says : 

" ' Brother Lucas, I once did you a favor — do you remem- 
ber it V 

11 1 1 do, and will return it, if it is ever in my power. 
" ' It is in your power now,' he replied. 
'"How so V 

" 1 I am to be married to-night. My wife knows nothing of 
it. I want you to go and tell her. Will you clo so V 

" ■ But why haven't you let her know it before V 

" ' I couldn't tell her. A thousand times I have longed to do 
so, but my heart always failed me.' 

" 1 Will she care much V 

" ' Not very much, I guess.' 

" I looked at him steadfastly, and saw that his countenance 
belied his words. 

" ' You will go V he asked again. 

" 1 Certainly,' and I immediately set out. 

" Mrs. Haley was busily engaged in her household avocations. 
She was singing a mournful song of her childhood's home, and 
her eyes looked red as if she had been weeping, but she received 
me cordially and kindly, and soon inquired if I had seen her 
husband, saying that he had been gone from home longer than 
usual. 

" ' And no wonder; he is detained by rather unusual business.' 
" ' What is it V she quickly inquired. 
" ' Can't you guess ?' 

" ' I don't think that I could ; I am not familiar with my 
husband's business.' 



304 Female Life among the Mormons. 



" She looked towards me, and I made a feeble attempt to 
smile. 

" ' You are jesting/ she said. 
"'I am not.' 

" • Well, just tell me then. I am impatient under suspense.' 

" ' You know that Mormon husbands assume a certain privi- 
lege in matrimonial affairs.' 

"The color forsook her countenance in a moment, her lips 
grew white and rigid. She clasped her hands till the blood half 
started from the clenched nails, and approaching me so closely 
that I felt her thick breathings on my face, she said in a hoarse 
voice : 

" ' Tell me all — instantly ! instantly !' 

"'Be composed, my dear madam/ I said. 'Your husband 
assures me that his affection for you is undiminished, but' — 
" ' He is going to take another ' — 
" The word stuck in her throat ; she could not speak it. 
"I nodded my head affirmatively. 

" She clasped her hands to her head. I thought she was 
going to faint, but such was not the case. That blessed obli- 
vion to sorrow was not for her. She sunk into a chair, not like 
Niobe in tears, for no tears came to her relief, yet such an 
expression of utter despair, such deep heartfelt misery, it is my 
prayer never to witness again." 

" And you made no attempt to comfort her V said Mrs. Bra- 
dish. 

" Oh, yes I did, my dear madam. I said, 

" ' Don't lay it to heart so seriously. You will be very happy 
together, I presume. The lady whom your husband has chosen 
is every way worthy of him and you. She will make an admi- 
rable companion. 

" She turned her head away as if the words pained her. 

" ' Please don't talk now — please don't,' she said. 



The Bitter Sorrow. 



805 



" I sat a few minutes in silence, and then thinking to divert 
her mind, inquired, where she obtained that beautiful flower 
which was growing in the yard. 

" She clasped her hands with an expression of agony that will 
haunt me to the day of my death. It was so utterly desolate 
and woe-begone. It seemed to say, how can you think of flowers, 
or aught beautiful and pure ? Henceforth to me all is darkness 
and distress. But I continued : . 

" ' I saw some beautiful scarlet blossoms of a new species 
blooming in the valley yesterday. If you wish it I will get 
them for you V 

" She shook her head, and a cold shudder ran over her 
frame. 

" ' You do not want them V I said. 

" ' Oh, I don't know,' she answered ; ' but don't talk to me, 
and about such things as that.' 

" I saw then my stupidity ; saw how futile would be mere 
earthly comfort ; saw the husks that I had been offering to her 
bruised and wounded spirit, instead of the Bread of Life. 

" ' Shall we pray ?' I inquired. 

" She nodded her head. 

" We knelt down, and I commenced — 

" ' Oh, not that way !' she almost shrieked ; ' I can't bear 
that. Let me pray as I did in childhood.' 

" I then recollected that she had been brought up in the 
ritual of the Established Church, and listened for the words of 
that litany which for pathos and fervor can never be excelled. 
But the petition which she breathed, though equally beautiful, 
was quite different, 

" 1 Forsake me not, oh, Lord- !' she prayed, ' in this my great 
extremity, but let me lean upon thee. Be thou my husband, my 
friend, and brother, and when all earthly hope fails, teach me to 
love thee more and more, to look to thee, and rest on thee, 



306 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



And oh ! that it would please thee to sanctify this great affliction 
to my spiritual good ; that it might please thee to purify my 
heart from all vain and foolish desires.' 

" A slight noise at the door caused me to raise my -eyes. Haley 
was standing there ; his young bride leaning on his arm, but the 
injured wife, in the fervor of her devotion, heard nothing of his 
approach. 

" ' And above all, oh, Lord ! that thou wouldst forgive my 
husband for thus bruising and trampling on a heart that trusted 
in him, for betraying the confidence of one who loved and 
honored him above all others.' 

" Haley stood like one transfixed with shame and surprise. 

" ' That thou wouldst forgive him for sinning against thyself, 
and making thy holy institution of marriage a means of licen- 
tiousness ; that thou wouldst forgive and pity her, his partner in 
sin ; that her eyes may be opened to the evil of her ways ; and 
that both may repent before it is too late. 7 

" Silently and stealthily the young woman drew her husband 
from the door, and the two disappeared around the corner of the 
house. 

" Mrs. Haley finished her devotions, and arose calm and com- 
posed. Prayer has a wonderfully sedative influence, and*when 
I came away her countenance had resumed its natural expression, 
only more sweet and sad. 

" Haley has since informed me, that when he returned home, 
she said nothing to him on the subject, indeed, that she scarcely 
spoke at tall. 

" But where is the bride ?" said Mrs. Bradish. 

" At her father's. She positively refused to go where 
Harriet lived ; said that the presence of such a woman would 
be a perpetual reproach on her, and that she couldn't nor 
wouldn't endure it." 

"And so it would," I replied. "This polygamy is only 



Ancient Practices Revived. 



307 



another name for the most abhorrent licentiousness, and no pure- 
minded woman would ever consent to have any part or lot in 
such a system. It could easily be broken up, if every woman 
would decide to remain in a state of celibacy, unless she could be 
united to a husband who had no other wife.' 

" 1 And suppose the women have not the privilege of a 
efusal." 

" I don't understand you." 

" Well, then," said Mrs. Bradish, " the perfect development 
of Mormonism will restore women to their primitive condition." 
" And what was that ?" 

"A state of utter and entire dependence on their male rela- 
tives. These relatives will have the power of disposing of them 
in marriage as they see fit. The husband, instead of receiving a 
dowry with the wife, will bestow a gift on her parents or guar- 
dians, which will be handed over to the church." 

" And so the church is to derive profit from the enslavement 
of its females ? Abominable !" 

"You can call it enslavement, or whatever you like," said 
Mrs. Bradish, "yet you must be aware that the practice is 
sanctioned by patriarchal usage. Jacob paid for his wives, 
so did David, and Hosea, according to the Scriptures you vene- 
rate, while the Book of Mormon expressly authorizes it." 

Brother Lucas soon after retired, and Mrs. Bradish departed 
to visit one of the elders, with whom she was becoming intimate, 
and whose mansion was shared by two buxom damsels in the 
character of wives. 



308 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



CHAPTER XXXI Y. 



emily's narrative continued. 



EFT alone for a short time, I was glad to see Emily coming 



down the street. She was dressed with nnusual care, and 



I never saw her look so beautiful. As she approached, it struck 
me that something in her manners and appearance resembled 

B m, yet the idea was new, and to an indifferent observer 

would have seemed ridiculous. He was considered homely, but 
it is a fact, that certain resemblances can be traced between the 
handsomest and the homeliest people, even as a caricature will 
bear a very general resemblance to its living original, though 
every feature is strongly and grotesquely exaggerated. A 
thought, which I dare not for a moment entertain, flashed into 
my mind. Her countenance had recently acquired a fixed and 
energetic expression, which made the resemblance more notice- 
able and striking, and I half determined to tell her of it. 

After exchanging the usual compliments when she entered the 
house, she introduced the subject which seemed uppermost in her 
mind. 

" You are aware," she said, " that B m in my former inter- 
view with him, gave me one month, in which to decide, whether 
or uot I would accept him for a husband. ' The time expired 
some time ago, but he only demanded my decision yesterday, 
saying that he wished me to see how perfectly able he was to 
accommodate another wife ; that the best suit of rooms in his 




The Prophet and his Victim. 309 



mansion was designed for me, and that he had the power, not 
only to punish me, but all my friends, if I adhered to my first 
resolution. 

"'And what did you tell him ?" 

11 That he might punish me as much as he pleased, since I was 
determined to remain true to myself, and never marry a man 
who had another wife. That as to my friends, they were very 
few, but fully able to take care of themselves, so I entertained 
no fears on that score. 

" ' Take care how you despise my authority, or you shall feel 
it/ he said. 

" ' I neither despise you, nor your authority,' I replied ; ' yet 
why should I fear it ? yo«r are no more than a man, and all the 
power you possess as head of the church, is liable to be wrested 
from you at any moment, if you make a despotic use of it.' " 

" You were bearding the lion in his den." 

" It don't seem so to me. I can't tell how it is, but every time 
I see this man, my fear of him grows less and less. It will dis- 
appear entirely, I think." 

" I only hope that you will have no occasion to fear him ; but 
what did he say to that ?" 

" That no one would interfere to prevent his doing with me as 
he pleased. 

" 1 Have you then forgot that there is a Power who has 
promised to protect the fatherless, and whose promises never 
fail V I inquired. 1 In Him is my trust.' 

" ■ But you refuse and deride His protection, in refusing me/ 
said my tormentor. 1 You thwart His will, and forfeit His care, 
in not becoming my wife. He will do nothing for you ; but to 
what other imaginary source do you look V 

" 1 To death.' 

" The Prophet started wildly. ' Who speaks of death V he 
inquired. 



310 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" 1 1 do !' and I fixed my eyes on his face, with a calm, 
unshrinking gaze. ' I do ; it is what we mast all meet, sooner 
or later ; it is something that equalizes and levels the oppressor 
and his victim — a sure and safe refuge against persecution, of 
whatever kind ; and I should prefer that — yes, even that—the 
damp, cold tomb — to being your wife.' 

" ' But people cannot always have what they would prefer/ 
he said, mockingly ; ' especially, when that preference is con- 
trary to the will of heaven ; and you would not dare — no, you 
would not dare — to rush, unbidden, into the presence of your 
Creator V 

" I made no reply. 

" ' Do you refuse to answer me ?' h* asked. 

"■ 1 1 do ; such questions as that, you have no right to ask/ 

" ' But I have a right to ask ; heaven has given me the right 
to know your most secret thoughts.' 

" 1 Then heaven must give you the power to find them 
out, for it is certain that I shall never reveal them to you.' 

" He seemed really surprised at my audacity, and doubtless 
was ; but I had long before discovered, that the manifestation 
of a spirit of defiance was the only safe course to pursue with 
him. After a silence of several minutes, he said : 

" ' You, it seems, are averse to a marriage with me, because 
I am already married. Now, suppose you marry Harmer, 
or any other young man ; you have no guarantee that he 
will not, almost immediately, take other wives ; especially, when 
such a thing is considered a religious duty, besides its agree- 
ableness and expediency. Objections on that score, are alto- 
gether invalid.' 

" 1 My objections are many and great ; polygamy is only one 
of them,' I replied. ' Will you suffer me to depart ?' 

" ' If you will promise to hold no communication with 
Harmer.' 



The Bravado. 



311 



" ' But I shall promise no such thing/ 
" ' You won't V 

" 'ISTo ; and you have no right to exact such a promise.' 
" 1 1 haven't— eh V 

11 ' To be sure you haven't ; and what is more, you have not 
the authority to enforce it. I shall talk with just who I please, 
notwithstanding your will to the contrary.' 

" ' Your boldness becomes you admirably !' he said at length, 
regarding my flashing eyes and defiant countenance ; ' I never 
saw you look so beautiful. I am fond of variety, and after the 
endless smiles with which I am accustomed to be treated by my 
other wives, it would be delicious to have one whose pretty lips 
could pout, or even scold a little. One gets tired of sugar, 
and a little tartness, sometimes, would not come amiss.' 

" ' With your permission, I will depart.' 
' But my permission will not be given.' 

" ' Then I shall go without it and suiting the action to the 
word, I leapt through the window. 

d The portly form of the Prophet prevented his following, 
though he looked and called after me. 

" Passing around the house, and through a little gate, whence 
a foot-path communicated with the valley, I met a lady in whom 

I recognized one of B m's wives. She looked distressed and 

troubled, and, offering her my hand, I inquired after her 
health. 

" She politely answered that her health was good ; and then 
coming at once to the subject that engrossed her thoughts, 
observed : 

" ' B m wishes to make you his wife.' 

" ' He does,' I replied. 

" ' Well,' she remarked, surveying me from head to foot, 
* you are much too beautiful, and I believe, too good, to be the 
wife of such a brute. Oh, Miss ! if you knew him as well as I 



312 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



do, you would suffer martyrdom before consenting to become his 
wife.' 

" My curiosity was aroused. ' Is he not, then, a model hus- 
band V 

" 'Model husband !' she answered bitterly ; 'no man can be 
a husband to more than one woman ; and much I doubt whether 
this man could be a husband to even one.' 

" ' Why not V 

11 1 Because he is too selfish — too utterly devoid of all the 
finer and gentler feelings. He is incapable of sentiment, and 
degrades marriage to a mere means of propagating the human 
species.' 

" 'Is he fond of you ?' 

" 1 How could he be fond of me, when duty, as he terms it, 
required him to divide his attentions between so many, and each 
wife was rigorous to exact her full share of his regards ? No ; 
he cares nothing about any of us. He is for ever smitten with 
new faces ; and that's the abomination of polygamy. Men are 
naturally inclined to variety, but habit, public opinion, every- 
thing, tends to restrain that inclination, in most communities. 
Among us, however, polygamy gratifies and encourages it. 
Wives may be multiplied like garments, and with every one that 
is worn, an old one must be thrown off. How I hate and 
despise myself, for ever sharing in such a system !' 

" 1 But you were not acquainted with its evils, until you expe- 
rienced them.' 

" - And yet, I ought to have been aware that polygamy would 
destroy all that was holy, and beautiful, and tender, in married 
life. I ought to have foreseen how all the sweet and familiar con- 
fidence of that most endearing relation, when rightly considered, 
all the reciprocal sympathies, and tendernesses, and cares, which 
constitute, more than anything else, the true happiness of the 
conjugal state, must be necessarily wanting, where the affections 



Family Secrets. 



313 



were divided on so many objects, whose views, and feelings, and 
opinions could not be other than diverse.' 
" ' Does he treat you all alike V 

" ' Pretty much ; it would hardly do for him to greatly prefer 
one to another. He bought me a ribbon one day that wonder- 
fully affronted Alice, and though he purchased a dress for her 
the next, she wasn't satisfied, but talked and scolded till he told 
her to shut her mouth, and never, while she lived, let him hear 
the word ribbon again.' 

" ' And did she obey him V 

" ' She knew better than to disobey, but don't, for the world, 

let B m know that I have said a word to you.' 

" ■■ No, of course not.' 

" ' He would punish me somehow, if he knew it.' 
" ' Are you, then, afraid of him V 

ti i perhapg vou a re not aware that those Mormon husbands, 
who have several wives, have a code of regulations by which 
they govern their families.' 

" I replied in the negative. 

" 'Well, such is the case, nevertheless, and to each of these 
rules is attached a penalty, that varies in stringency according 
to the nature of the offence, and its heinousness in the eyes of 
the Mormon elders.' 

" ' But how does it happen that I never heard of this 
before ?' 

" ' Because you reside in a family where polygamy, practically 
speaking, is unknown, and a great penalty is attached to the 
least revelation of household affairs. I am telling you this, 
under the risk of severe punishment.' 

" ' These rules ; I wish to hear more about them, — what are 
they V 

"'The first one forbids the revelation of any incident that 
occurs in the household, provided it compromises the honor of 

14 



314 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



the husband, or any of his wives, or can have a tendency to 
bring the institution of polygamy into disrepute.' 

'"And the penalty?' 

" ' Confinement in the cellar for a month.' 

" ' And have any of the Mormon wives been so confined ?' 

" ' That is more than I can tell ; however, it is not unlikely/ 

" ' And the second rule ?' 

" ' Forbids all quarrelling and dissension among the wives ; the 
one who commences the quarrel, to receive the punishment, 
which varies in degree from three lashes to twenty-five.' 

" ' And by whom are the lashes to be administered V 

" ' Generally by the husband, though sometimes by a delegate 
whom he may appoint. 

" 'The third rule forbids one wife to injure or strike another, 
under the penalty of a dozen lashes, to be administered by the 
party aggrieved. 

" 'The fourth rule forbids one woman to strike, or otherwise 
correct the child of another, under penalty of receiving herself 
just as many blows, administered by the mother of the beaten 
child.' 

" ' And is that all V 

" ' No, indeed ; other offences of a similar character are classi- 
fied and arranged with their penalties ; yet all relate, more or 
less, to that abominable system, which makes the domestic altar 
a shrine of legal prostitution, sanctioned by the authority of a 
pretended revelation.' 

"It need scarcely be said," continued Emily, "how much my 
abhorrence of that hateful institution was strengthened by this 
account, and now it is my fixed resolution, never, upon any con- 
dition, to enter the married state, while in the Mormon territory." 

"Not with Harmer ?" 

" No, not even with him, unless a new state of things can b& 

introduced." 



The Conspirators. 



315 



" And that is very improbable." 

" Though not impossible ; at any rate it can be attempted." 
. "To what do you allude?" 

" Never mind, you will find out f and Emily soon after bade 
me adieu, and departed. 

While meditating on her words, and what they were designed 
to insinuate, Harmer and Lawrence passed the window. They 
were conversing in a low, earnest tone, and then I remembered 
having observed them frequently together before. Mr. Ward 
that moment came in from an opposite direction. 

" These men," said I, pointing through the window, " are 
becoming very intimate." 

"So I perceive," he answered, "they are probably hatching 
mischief of some kind or other." 

" Or they may be discussing something useful or good." 

Mr. Ward shook his head, and the subject was dropped, as I 
did not wish to excite or strengthen his suspicions. 



CHAPTER XXXY. 

CHURCH AND STATE. 

ESTABLISHED in Utah, as they supposed, beyond the 
cognizance or the authority of the government at Wash- 
ington, the Mormons quickly developed a ruling principle of 
their religion ; namely, the union of Church and State, which, 
as may be imagined, was an arbitrary and irresponsible despot- 
ism. B m was temporal governor, and spiritual ruler ; the 

maker and executioner of laws ; the prophet, priest, and king, 
so far as real power and authority was concerned. It is true 
that he counselled with the elders, but then he acted precisely 



316 Female Life among the Mormons. 



as he pleased ; they might advise, bat they could not direct. 
Certain it is, however, that many of his most important schemes 
were only confided to a few, and that messengers to various 
Indian tribes were coming and going, and that Indian chiefs 
were entertained, and mysterious treaties formed with them, of 
whose import, all but a select few were ignorant. Sometimes 
the ostensible motives was trade, though the most casual 
observer might have discovered something in this intercourse 
that indicated a deeper and more ambitious project. 

Meanwhile every means was taken to strengthen the hands of 
the church, and by the church B m clearly understood him- 
self. Taxes were levied, and various measures taken to enlarge 
its revenues, and the funds thus obtained, after deducting a very 
small proportion to support missionaries, were disposed of in 
some incomprehensible way, or appropriated to some secret ser- 
vice. The missionaries, too, were compelled to travel, and 
preach. Unlike the same class in other denominations of Chris- 
tians, they were never permitted to locate and remain in one 
place, at an immense expense and little profit. After the 
removal to Utah, they were particularly instructed to employ 
every effort to induce all favorable to the new faith to emigrate, 
and whether favorable or not, to point out the extreme beauty 
and healthfulness of the locality. They were directed to organ- 
ize churches, baptize converts, and accept presents, which might 
contribute to swell the general funds, while at the same time no 
church should be expected or required to sustain a settled pas- 
tor, as every brother was presumed to be competent to preach. 

The manner of their selection was rather original. The 
names of a certain number were written on small pieces of white 
paper, and these being put in a hat, with an equal number of 
blank pieces, the whole were well shaken up, when the oldest 
brother, and after him the others, drew out, each one a piece, 
and the men whose names were thus drawn out, were considered 



Primitive Way of Choosing Preachers. 31t 

as destined, by the Holy Spirit, to preach, in turn. It was 
regarded as the height of impiety, to attempt, by any means, to 
avoid this contingency, but no one was required to speak a 
greater length of time than comported with his inclination and 
ability. Some would talk an hour, but others onlv five minutes. 
Some would take a text, and others only exhort. 

This alternation, however, gave variety and interest to the 
entertainment. The missionaries to the heathen were chosen in 
the same manner, while those remaining at home were not suf- 
fered to remain in idleness, awaiting their turn, but expected to 
work at some kind of useful employment. Whatever might be 

his faults, B m, in this respect, manifested a laudable 

energy. Ministers or elders, who presumed on their sacred cal- 
ling, and wished to burden the church with their support, or to 
obtain a living independent of physical labor, he severely repri- 
manded, and if they remained contumacious, they were dismissed 
with contempt as drones and idlers. 

" He that reclaims a farm from the wilderness, and brings up 
a family in the fear of God and the faith of Mormon, has 
accomplished a great work, and he shall live and reign with. 
Christ a thousand years," he would remark, on all occasions. 

" And what will be the condition of those who are restrained 
by nature, or misfortune, or untoward circumstances, from the 
performance of these duties ?" 

" They are to be pitied and forgiven ; but let no one minister, 
elder, or brother, who is capable of assuming the responsibility, 
shrink from it, lest he be denied a right to share the fruits of 
the tree of life." 

Under this discipline, the preachers found themselves necessi- 
tated to find employment. Many of them became the most 
active farmers. Others wrought at mechanical trades, and a 
few entered into mercantile affairs. 

The Prophet and Governor sought to encourage all such 



318 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



undertakings, and his manner of reasoning was correct and apt 
to the purpose. 

" It is a fixed law," he would say, " that every man, with few 
and rare exceptions, is intended to live on his own earnings, and 
not on those of another. No man has a right to live, or eat his 
daily bread, without producing as much, on the scale of a life, 
as he consumes, and that, too, by some kind of honest physical 
labor. Indeed, it is every man's duty to quadruple himself in 
population, as well as to increase the fixed capital of the world 
for the next generation. A farmer should leave a farm cleared, 
cultivated, and stocked for the church. And if he has been a 
believer and preacher of the truth, so much the better. It 
shows that he has done his duty as an industrious and useful 
citizen. I praise and honor such a one, and my praise and 
honor is worth having. He shall be a king and priest to God ; 
it has been revealed to me." 

It was the general policy of B m to encourage preaching 

mostly, in those who were well off in temporal affairs. This 
obviated any necessity of assistance on the part of the Church. 
The rich men likewise monopolized the women, to a great 
extent, consequently, while one man enjoyed the honor of being 
a preacher and a rich man, with a house fall of women, all love- 
able and lovely, waiting to do his bidding, another, quite as 
good, or better probably in mind and heart, though with less of 
this world's goods, was doomed to the cold and joyless trials of 
celibacy. 

In this respect, however, it cannot be denied that some of the 
women were culpable, and that their conduct contributed, in no 
small degree, to the continuance of polygamy. Not a few pre- 
ferred a rich man, with a dozen wives, to a poor one without any, 
and, though repentance must inevitably ensue, it would be too 
late. The Prophet encouraged this state of things, for various 
reasons ; indeed, he seemed to consider poverty as little short of 



Little Spirits in Want of Bodies. 319 



■crime, whose punishment consisted in the deprivation of social 
and domestic comforts. 

It seemed to be the policy of B m, to give the Mormon 

creed a consistency, or rather a systematized form, such as it 
had never taken under the administration of Smith. Besides 
the wonders of millennial glory, on which the preachers loved to 
descant, they were fond of expatiating on spiritual life. They 
professed to believe, and they certainly taught, that God had 
constantly on hand a multitude of little spirits, who want to 
come, and whom he has ordained shall come, and assume mortal 
bodies, and sojourn on earth for a time ; human bodies being 
earthly tabernacles, temporary dwelling-houses for spirits. Yet, 
conjugal intercourse is necessary to accomplish the work, and 
hence, as God is very anxious that these spirits should be pro- 
vided with bodies, and as the spirits themselves are very anx- 
ious to get down here, it became the duty of all true believers 
to lend their aid and produce the bodies as_ fast as possible. 

And this doctrine, strange and ridiculous as it may seem, 
was openly taught from the pulpit as a defence of polygamy. 

" It has been revealed to me," said B m one day from the 

pulpit, " It has been revealed to me, that there are millions on 
millions of little spirits, all waiting and wishing for mortal 
bodies. And when they come to take bodies, they wish to be 
of Mormon parentage. Of course the higher order would be 
disgusted with a low, mean descent, the same as a righteous man 
is disgusted with a wicked one, or a neat, tidy person with one 
of filthy habits ; hence, they would only be willing to go to the 
place where purity and righteousness dwell. The lower order 
of spirits will likewise go among the low and uncultivated, 
where the principles of virtue and integrity have been in part or 
wholly neglected. Good spirits do not want to partake of the 
sins of the low and degraded, hence they will stay in heaven 
until a way is opened for purity and righteousness to form a 



320 Female Life among the Mormons. 

channel to which they can come and take honorable bodies in 
this world, and magnify that calling. 

Let us take that course, and we shall draw the brightest 
spirits to honor our generations. Try this, and your offspring- 
will be the fairest specimens of the work of God's hand. Let 
the servants of God maintain the principles of holiness and inte- 
grity, and marry a multitude of wives, and by that means draw 
in their train more of those spirits that will glorify the God of 
Israel, since we are very well assured that all the good spirits 
must necessarily be born in Utah, or among true believers. 
The Almighty will never send his choice spirits to the low and 
degraded people of the thirty-one States, who restrict the holy 
and virtuous to the possession of one wife. 

Another argument which he advanced in favor of polygamy, 
was the idea of improving the stock. 

'• I have been looking about me," he said, " as I always am, 
and have seen how anxious many of our farmers are to improve 
their stock of cattle ; to make them of better blood, and thus 
be all the time improving : but it is not a common thing for 
men to wish to improve their own species. I wish you to think 
for a moment. I have seldom heard that subject agitated, when 
indeed it is the most important one that was ever investigated. 
Let us go a little further into the philosophy of this : a man by 
having many wives, and thus mingling his blood with a variety, 
can improve his species the same as we can improve any other 
portion of the animal creation. It is said that we bear the 
image of God, and now, don't let us dwindle down by the one- 
wife system to the physical and mental degeneracy of the 
monkey." 

Blasphemous and absurd as these sentiments must appear, 
they were quite as new and ludicrous. The brethren, however, 
or all those who were able to take more wives, or to get them, 
seemed to think it was a capital idea. To Harmer it afforded a 



Debasing Tendency of Polygamy. 



321 



subject for an excellent jest, and whenever he heard of a bro- 
ther who was about to marry his second or third wife, he would 
remark that such a one intended to improve his stock. 

As the principles of Mormonism developed, it became evident 
that the females were to be regarded as an inferior order of 
beings. One by one the rights to which they had been accus 
tomed, as well as the courtesies generally conceded to them, 
were taken away. When the husband died, his property 
reverted to the church, instead of going to support his bereaved 
family, a regulation which occasioned an infinite amount of 
trouble and difficulty. However, if the husband and father was 
particularly interested in making provision for the future sup- 
port of his family, he could do so, by paying the church during 
his life-time a certain extra stipend, which would release its claim. 

Many widows were thus actually necessitated to take hus- 
bands on the first opportunity, and many young girls, not 
exceeding the ages of twelve and fourteen years, became the 
wives of men old enough to be their grandfathers, to save them 
from the streets. 

No family in Utah ever hires household service. Some few 
have slaves, but generally speaking when one wife is insufficient 
to perform the labor, another is taken, perhaps a third, or 
fourth, and so on, for the number is only limited by the discre- 
tion and desire of the husband. 

In all cases where the father was living, his consent was 
necessary to the marriage of a daughter, even though that 
daughter was a widow and a mother. In the case of his death, 
the head of the church acted in the capacity of guardian, and 
his consent was indispensable. The fathers, from the instruc- 
tion they constantly received, and other causes, paid little atten- 
tion to the inclinations of their children, but were greatly 
influenced by the size of the nominal gift, though actually the 
importance of the price they were to receive. These bargains 

14* 



322 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



were not unfrequently the subjects of as much chicanery and 
intrigue, as if the object for sale was a horse, and the contract- 
ing parties two regular jockies. 

One blustery windy day in autumn, muffled in a warm cloak, 
and otherwise protected from cold, I sought the residence of 
Mrs. Melton, in order to pay that lady a visit which I had long 
promised. Mrs. Melton's family consisted of herself, her hus- 
band, and two beautiful daughters. They were in tolerable 
good circumstances, but the husband was a scheming, discon- 
tented man, possessed with the idea of becoming rich. He had 
never married but one wife, because he considered them expen- 
sive. His sole remark when Mrs. Melton required a new dress 
or shawl would be : " these women will ruin us all by their 
extravagance and, though he generally gave her the money 
required, it evidently came grudgingly, than which nothing can 
more deeply wound a sensitive mind. He was even more hard 
and churlish to his daughters, and their great natural beauty 
was seldom heightened by the aid of ornament in childhood ; 
though, some years later, the father, who thought of nothing but 
making money, determined to cause their beauty to subserve his 
selfish ends. Accordingly he bought them dresses, and laces, 
took them to meeting, and exposed their charms to the wanton 
eyes of the old polygamists. 

Of course they were soon noticed, and an old man, whose 
domestic establishment comprised a dozen wives and thirty chil- 
dren, came to the house while I was there to bargain for the 
eldest daughter. His appearance excited in the mind the most 
repulsive and abhorrent sensations. He was rude and ungainly 
in his manners, uncouth in form and feature, while his conversa- 
tion was a rare mixture of vulgarity and ignorance ; yet, lie was 
well off, a circumstance which gave him great importance in his 
own eyes, though his property had been acquired in the most 
degrading manner. 



A Father sells his Daughters. 



323 



When he was an infant, his mother being left a widow, car- 
ried her son to the poor-house, and then travelled around the coun- 
try with a begging paper, and thus acquired a sum sufficient to 
purchase a farm. This farm he managed to obtain by swindling 
his aged parent, whom he caused to be supported by the town- 
ship until her death. After this he sold his farm, and with the 
proceeds removed to Utah, and became a very devout Mormon. 

Mr. Melton and this man, on the occasion of which I speak, 
occupied an apartment contiguous to the one in which I sat with 
Mrs. Melton, but the door being ajar, and the gentlemen talk- 
ing loudly, we could not help hearing the conversation. Mrs. 
Melton seemed nervously anxious, but said nothing. Several 
times I observed the tears trickling down her cheeks, as her 
husband enlarged on the various good points of the girls ; and 
his companion, though eager for the purchase, rather dissented 
from the extravagant gift demanded. 

" You see, Brother Weldy," said the father, " my girls are no 
common piece of woman flesh. You might search the society of 
the saints from one end to the other, and not find such others — 
so neat and trim, and handy at house-work, or any other kind of 
work, though, to tell the truth, they never done much at any- 
thing else, never earned me five dollars, while the expense of their 
bringing up has been great, very great, brother Weldy, conse- 
quently their husband must give me something commensurate. 
Beautiful girls like them should command rich husbands. 7 ' 

"I consider myself as well off as any man in Utah," said 
Weldy. 

"Oh, certainly, you are well off, very well off, and conse- 
quently you can afford to give something handsome, especially 
as the girl is young, and yourself quite aged — excuse me, I 
don't think that any objection, but some folks might," and he 
endeavored to smile blandly. 

" Why, yes," said Weldy, drawing his words, " I might give 



324 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



something rather handsome, I s'pose, say that bay mare ; I'll 
give you her. She's a fine beast, very 'fine ; you don't see a 
better round these diggings." 

"Say both horses, and its a bargain. They're just such a 
span as I've been wanting to get." 

" Couldn't, positively couldn't, unless you let me have both 
the girls ; what do you say to that, eh ?" 

"Both my daughters ! really, I don't know ; would it be 
lawful for a man to marry two sisters ?" 

" Certainly ; the patriarch Jacob did, you know." 

Mrs. Melton wiped her eyes, and I was actually dumb with 
astonishment. 

" You would be welcome to the girls, both of them, provided 
you were willing to give me a suitable remuneration, but either 
one is worth both your mares, considering their age and beauty. 
I want to do well by them. I want them to marry a rich man, 
but I can't give them away ; that wouldn't look well — wouldn't 
look as if I had any regard for them." 

" You mustn't be too hard on a fellow, now ; but I'm willing 
to do right about it. Say both the girls, and I'll throw in that 
Durham cow." 

"That's more like it ; but it strikes me that if you were to 
see the girls, you'd be still more liberal. Let me go and call 
them." 

Mr. Melton went out, but soon returned. 
" They'll be in presently," he said, and the two men continued 
the conversation. 

" You must be getting quite a family, brother Weldy ?" said 

Melton. 

" Something of a family, it is true. I wish to do my duty in 
that respect, if no other." 

" How many helpmates has it uleased heaven to bestow upon 
you !" 



Brother Weldy's" Chief Blessing. 



325 



" At present I have twelve, and several more in view." 

" Ah ; but how do you manage to support 'em ? These 
women are 'generally extravagant." 

" I don't consider mine so, and as to their support, why a 
woman will earn her living, over and over again, in the course 
of the year. I carry on my large farm solely with their help, 
and it is much cheaper than to hire men. Why don't you take 
another wife ?" 

" I feared the expense of keeping them." 

" Pshaw, keeping them, indeed ; they'd keep you, if you 
wanted to live a gentleman. Generally speaking, they are 
much more active and industrious than men, much more trust- 
worthy, too. It's one of the blessedest things in the world, to 
have the laws all made by the church. Polygamy, as I take it, 
is the legitimate offspring of the union of Church and State. 
The Church is more careful and tender of the interests of believ- 
ers, than the State, when divorced from her, could ever be." 

" Likely enough." 

" Why, it is plain as day to me, and I bless the Lord for it. 
The heathenish statesmen, who make the laws of those States 
whence we came, care nothing about the church, the true inter- 
ests of believers, or other things in which we are deeply inter- 
ested. Mor monism can only nourish as a theocracy ; but so 
long as the head of the church makes the laws we are safe. 
We ought to have a constitution and government of our own ; 
we must have, too. It will never do for the saints to remain in 
virtual bondage to the heathen. They will come among us 
after a while, I expect, with the express purpose to deprive us 
of our superior privileges, because, of course, they won't be wil- 
ling for us to enjoy what they cannot possess themselves. I 
regard polygamy as the chiefest of our blessings, and that will 
be what the heathen will attempt to root out and destroy. 
Independence is the only thing that can preserve us. 



326 Female Life among the Mormons. 



" It seems so to rne." 

"Yes, independence and a theocratic government. I have 
got enough of republics. I don't like this freedom and equality 
in name, where none really exists." 

There was a sound of approaching footsteps, a rustle of 
female garments, then the door opened, and two girls made their 
appearance, arm in arm. Slightly abashed at the presence of 
Weldy, they were drawing back, when the father ordered them 
to advance. They timidly obeyed, when Weldy, without any 
recognition of their presence, raised his eyes, with a gaze of cool 
assurance, and surveyed them from head to foot ; first one, and 
then the other. ft Rather beautiful," he said, at length. 
" They can go." 

" Leave the room," said the father ; and they obeyed, but 
came, in great surprise, to the room where we were sitting. 

" What is Weldy here for ?" said the eldest to her mother, 
in a whisper, " and what does he want of us ?" 

" To marry you !" 

" Oh, Lord !" said one of the girls, while the other ran from 
the apartment shrieking. 

" Which of us, mother VI said the remaining daughter. 
" Both !" 

" Worse and worse ! who ever heard tell of such a thing ? 
but father will not consent ? that horrible man, too, looks like 
an ogre." 

" Your father has consented," said the mother. 

The girl clasped her hands in mute despair. " Then we are 
indeed, lost," she said. 

This conversation had been carried on in so low a tone, that 
the discourse of the men was plainly audible. 

" They are perfect houris to my view," said the father, " and 
all that induces me to part with them is a regard for the church, 
and a desire that they may become mothers in Israel. It is my 



The Sale Consummated. 



321 



wish that every female should fulfill her vocation to the utmost, 
that thereby the number of the Faithful might become as the 
sand of the sea." 

Weldy looked as if he understood perfectly the drift of such 
conversation, "Right fair girls, yet I don't admire such black 
eyes, and beauty after all isn't but skin deep. If I want 'em to 
work in the meadow, I dare say they'll be afraid of getting 
tanned." 

" No, they won't ; they never tan, some complexions don't, 
you know, and I'm really astonished that you shouldn't like 
black eyes; most people are partial to them." 

"They are apt to be accompanied by a fiery temper, and 
quick tongue." 

" Ah ! you're mistaken there ; many of the pleasantest women 
I ever knew, had black eyes." 

" And your pleasant women are mere devils when roused." 

" Well, if you don't want my daughters, say so ; there'll be 
enough, that will." 

" But I do want 'em ; all is, I think, you ask too big a price." 

" For the two best and likeliest girls in the settlement ?" 

" I do ; it seems to me that I have made you a very fair offer. 
These girls are not half the use to you, that two stout hearty 
wives would be. You know that mere beauty is of but small 
account, it fades so soon." 

" Well, considering all things, probably it is as much as I 
could reasonably expect," said the father. 

" And we may consider the matter settled ?" 

" I guess so." 

" And when can I have the girls ?" 
" Whenever you choose." 

" Let me see; well, suppose I say this day week; will that be 
too soon ?" 

" No ; I don't think that it will." 



328 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" You will endeavor to reconcile the girls, it they make any 

objections ?" 

" Certainly ; but they have been reared in habits of obedience; 
there will be no difficulty with them." 

Mrs. Melton turned her eyes to her daughter with a mute 
glance of despairing agony. The girl sat with her hands clasped, 
her cheeks blenched, the picture of utter despair. 

I heard the men rise, and knew that Weldy was going. Mrs. 
Melton made a motion mechanically, as if to rise, and then sunk 
back in her chair. 

" Oh ! mother, mother !" said the girl, " you must save us 
from this fate." 

" I would lay down my life to save you, darling, but the 
sacrifice would be of no avail." 

I was ready to exclaim in the language of the patriarch, 
" Oh ! my soul, come not into their secret ; to their assembly, my 
honor, be thou not united." 

Then I heard Weldy blessing that theocracy, or the power of 
the Church that, governing the State, conferred such privileges 
on believers. 



the self-accuser and the dying husband. 
OON after our arrival in Utah, Charley Moore and the 



beautiful Ethleen were united in marriage. She was blithe 
and happy as a bird, and no one could doubt his perfect felicity. 
The handsome hunter, the rover of the prairie and the wilder- 
ness, had become suddenly transformed to the domesticated man, 
who always came home at night, and preferred the society of his 



CHAPTER XXXYI. 




The Forsaken Wife. 



329 



wife to that of any other. They occupied a pleasant cottage on 
the brow of a hill, a beautiful garden in front, and a wide field, 
filled with various kinds of grain and edible roots, in the rear. 
Their fat, sleek cow pastured in the valley, and everything bore 
an air of quiet peace, and sweet contentment. 

Bat leaving this pleasant abode of love and bliss, let us look 
in on poor Mrs. Stillmau. It is late at night, yet the old lady 
is sitting alone. She seems lonely, sad, and disconsolate ; for- 
saken by the husband of her youth, the companion of her riper 
years, and the support of her age. She is thinking over the 
past, and memory brings back faithfully all the toils and trials, 
and privations they had shared together. The long, long years 
of endearing love and confidence ; the anxieties, and cares, and 
watchings in sickness, the constant companionship, and reciprocal 
attentions in health, and she felt from her inmost soul that he 
was her husband, and hers only ; that the ties which united them 
could only be severed by the hand of death, nor even by that, 
but that their spirits would meet and mingle to all eternity. 
She was no longer excited by passion ; jealousy, hate, madness, 
had all disappeared. She knew that a ceremony of marriage 
had been performed between her husband and the woman she 
had hated and still despised. She knew likewise that he had 
provided her with a house, and money to furnish it. She knew 
likewise that the greater part of his time was spent there, and 
that he was completely fascinated and bewildered with the 
attractions of his new bride, yet she reviewed the subject in all 
its bearings with comparative calmness, and mentally inquires, 
" what is it best for me to do ?" 

A small fire is glowing on the hearth, and she sits in the 
shadow of its dim uncertain light. There is a cricket on the 
hearth, and its cheerful chirp, chirp, chirp, reminds her so forci- 
bly of the past, that she almost wishes it would hush. Yet 
there is something so companionable to the lonely, even in the 



330 



Female Life among the Mormons. ♦ 



chirp of a cricket, something so home-like and domestic, that it 
soothes and solaces the weary and suffering. 

Then came a gentle tap at the door, and the next moment 
Louisa entered, with a countenance that looked even unhappier 
than that of her mother-in-law. 

" Sitting here alone in the dark, mother, and father off with 
that bad, bad woman ? Oh ! it is too bad. Why will you not 
come and live with us altogether ? I feel concerned to have you 
stay here alone. You might be taken sick suddenly and die, 
before any person could find it out." 

u No, Louisa, I prefer to remain here," said the old lady 
solemnly, " he comes once in two or three days to see how I am 
getting along, and though his visits are short, they reconcile me 
in some degree to his absence, because they show that I am 
still remembered." 

" Such remembrance as that would not satisfy me," said 
Louisa, " it would be provoking rather than otherwise." 

" I think not, if you could feel as I have felt." 

" Why, mother, what has come over you ?" inquired Louisa, 
"it really astonishes me to see you so calm and collected. 
What have you heard ? what has happened V 

" I have heard nothing, and nothing has happened, only that 
my mind has changed in some respects at least, and I no longer 
look on things as I did once, and that, though in the conduct of 
your father there may be something to forgive, there is also 
much to excuse." 

" Goodness, mother, I hope you will never attempt to excuse 
polygamy, under any circumstances." 

" Heaven forbid, and yet, though polygamy is inexcusable, the 
polygamist may be, or it seems so to me." 

Louisa shook her head. 

" He is my husband," continued the old lady, " he has always 
been kind, and gentle, and considerate ; I shall never forget that, 



The Perfection of Meekness. 



331 



He was so particularly tender and careful of me when I was 
sick or a little ailing, that I would speak lightly of his faults, 
and regard them rather as human infirmities, than willful errors 
of heart or mind." 

Louisa was half tempted to look on her mother as demented ; 
the whole tone of her conversation being so different from what 
it had ever been before. 

" It is but right, 77 resumed the old lady, " that you, who have 
known my anger, my jealousy, and hate, should know also of 
my better feelings, should know how heartily I have forgiven 
them, and that my best wishes are for their welfare. 77 

We may be sure that Louisa opened her eyes in supreme 
astonishment ; " But not till they have repented? 77 she said, " not 
till they change their mode of life ?" 

" Yes, even now, because it is our duty to pray for the unjust, 
even more than the just ; to love our enemies as our friends, 
and though to bid an evil-doer God-speed in his wickedness 
might make us partakers of the evil deed, we should wish for 
his welfare, and that he might do well. 77 

Louisa said nothing ; she could not find it in her heart to 
forgive a woman, whose fascinations had once bewitched her 
husband. 

" I have become aged, 77 said Mrs. Stillman ; "I was never 
beautiful or clever. My conversation was ordinary and com- 
monplace. I had no education, and little talent, and my wonder 
is that he should ever love me at the first, that he loved me so 
many years, that he submitted to my authority as he did, con- 
scious all the time of my defects, for he must have known them. 
It is strange that he never discovered before that I could not 
make him happy. 77 

" You are all wrong, mother, in thus undervaluing yourself,' 7 
said Louisa. " So far as talents, or education, or cleverness are 
concerned, you are much his superior, as everybody acquainted 



332 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



with you must acknowledge. He was never a smart man, 
though, till now, I always accounted him a good one." 

" And he is a good one ; heaven forgive me for not sooner 
finding it out. As I was sitting here alone," continued the old 
lady, " here alone, in the dull, dim shadows of the waning fire- 
light, thinking in the bitterness of my spirit how he had deserted 
me, and of all the wrongs and sufferings that I had endured in 
consequence, I felLasleep and dreamed of my mother." 

" Of your mother P 

"Of my mother ; she has long been dead, but methought she 
stood before me, just as she looked in life, only more radiant 
and beautiful. Then she questioned me of my trouble, and I 
told her all from first to last. Her countenance assumed a 
mournful expression, and she inquired, ' Didn't it never occur to 
you, my daughter, that a large proportion of the wrong was on 
your side V 

" 1 On my side V 

" 1 Even so, your heart will tell you what I mean, examine it 
well,' and I saw her no more." 

" Was the vision real V* questioned Louisa. 

" Whether or not the vision was real, the result of it was. 
My eyes were opened at once to my long course of usurped 
authority and haughty exaction. I had aspired to rule and 
domineer over him, not by the gentle influence of love, but the 
pride of an overweening ambition. Not because it was for my 
good, or his good, or the good of our family, but because I 
loved to rule, and have my own way. I see it all now, the little 
consideration I paid to his judgment, the preference I always 
gave to my own pleasure, my blind perversity to his desire. 
Imagining myself possessed of his affection, I prized it little, and 
took no pains to secure and preserve it, hence it has passed 
from me, and nothing is left but the knowledge of my loss, and 
regret for the years of folly that caused it." 



Bitter Reflections. 



333 



It was a pitiable sight to behold that old woman, with her 
pale, wan face, and snowy hair, thus bringing home to her heart 
the errors of her younger years, and finding in her own derelic- 
tions from duty, an excuse for the infirmities of her husband. 

" I was told yesterday," she continued, " that Fanny pets and 
caresses him. Heayen knows that I never thought of doing 
such a thing ; that she talks to him of love, and apparently 
lives only in his presence ; while I made him feel always that 
his company was irksome to me, that his conversation displeased 
me. I have told him a thousand times that I regretted my 
marriage ; that if I were single again, nothing should ever induce 
me to enter that state ; that my burdens of house-keeping and 
family were troublesome, and that I would willingly be released. 
Such things, I begin to perceive, must necessarily alienate a hus- 
band's heart." 

"But, mother," said Louisa, " all women are guilty of these 
things, more or less." 

"Then the more shame be to them." 

" But they don't see it in the light that you do. Their tem- 
pers become soured with a multitude of petty cares and vexa- 
tions, and though the husband may not be to blame, he is the 
readiest object, and generally the victim on whom the wife vents 
her complaints." * 

"I see," continued the old lady, "now that my husband has 
gone from me> I see, what I never understood before, that his 
society was a great comfort and blessing to me. True, he 
wasn't much of a talker, and rarely gave an opinion contrary to 
me, yet the consciousness of his presence and protection, so 
lightly regarded then, seems to me now to have been a great 
thing. If he didn't speak a word I wasn't lonely ; and then 
how strange that I never knew, that I never ascertained during 
the forty years of our companionship, that I loved him as I do." 

" As you did," said Louisa. 



334 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" As I do," said the old woman sharply. " But only to think 
that I remained so long blind to the state of my feelings, even 
while we sat daily at the same board, and nightly by the same 
hearth, and participated hourly in the comforts of the same 
home." 

" The home he has now forsaken,' 7 said Louisa. 

" The home that his presence blessed, that his industry and 
forethought preserved from want, the home which but for him 
had Dever existed, and which his generosity and kindness made 
a quiet sanctuary for the stranger and the weary ; a seat for 
the exercise of holy and gentle virtues ; the centre of a thou- 
sand influences and associations, which bless and purify all 
within their reach." 

" And yet, mother, I could not thus plead for him." 

" Because you have never known him as I have ; because 
you can never apprehend how everything around me speaks of 
him. He has been familiar with every place that I have ; he 
has beheld the same countenances, and heard the same voices. 
Yet, he was more beloved than me ; I could see that plainly. 
Eyes that looked coldly to me, beamed pleasurably on him ; nor 
was it a wonder, he was gentleness and honesty, fearful of 
giving offence, and ever ready to do a kindness. And all this 
time," she continued, " I was well aware of his worth, but never 
laid it to heart. I understood perfectly well that he was 
grieved and wounded at my fault-finding, though he never said 
so, yet I delighted in it ; it was making him feel my power, and 
power was the only thing on earth that I ever coveted." 

" But now," answered Louisa, " now that it is too late to 
make amends, the remembrance of these things, doubtless exag- 
gerated by distempered fancy, comes to aggravate your afflic- 
tion. What is done cannot be undone. No self-accusation can 
ever obliterate an action." 

" But actions if not obliterated may be atoned for." 



Mother and Daughter. 



335 



" Sometimes, and yet you can hardly make atonement to your 
husband." 
" Why not ?" 

" Because he has placed himself virtually beyond your reach." 
" Beyond my reach, when he visits me every two or three 
days ?" 

11 Certainly, since you would scarcely humiliate yourself to 
begin the subject, considering the manner in which he has 
treated you." 

" The manner in which I have treated him is what concerns 
me now, and were the humiliation ten times greater than it is, I 
would cheerfully bear it, in order to make him some amends," 
replied the old lady. 

" Amends to him, mother, for what?" 

" Tor all my folly and wickedness." 

" What folly and wickedness ?" 

" That which has been a part and parcel of my conduct all 
my life ; which shadowed and blighted the happiness of our mar- 
riage ; and which has finally driven him to the arms of another." 

" How can that be the case ?" 

" Because if I had conducted myself with moderation and con- 
siderate gentleness ; if I had trusted to his good sense of con- 
sistency and right, instead of my own violence, he would have 
treated her with the contempt she deserved." 

" I knew nothing of any violence." 

" Of course you did not. Outsiders rarely know what sights 
and sounds the domestic hearth witnesses." 

" You didn't attempt to give him a taste of the lash, as you 
did Fan ?" said Louisa laughing. 

" No ; my violence with him was all in words, and yet that is 
bad enough for a husband. Many men I believe would prefer 
stripes of the two." 

" That might be." 



336 



Feualz Lijz AiroiN'S- the Mormons 



"I didn't consider that the exhibition of ruy unlovable quali- 
ties was so much gained on her side ; that my sulkiness and 
silence contrasted extremely unfavorably with her cheerful 
humor ; that my selfishness, my everlasting desire to be pleased 
and waited on, was so different from her constant service and 
attendance, and desire to please, that no human heart could 
help being charmed vritli i:."" 

" And what do you design to do V 

" Make him all the reparation in my power, which will be 
little, though enough to show my motive and good will." 

" I hope that he will be satisfied now." said Louisa, " and not 
want to take another wife. It is such a common thing, when 
the barriers are once overleaped, to keep on, that I fear he will 
aspire to increase the number.'' 

'■ If he is lost to me." said Mrs. Stillman : "if I cannot ^in 
him back, why it won't make much difference.' 1 

" Win him back ! mother : how strangely you talk. Of 
course you can't undo the marriage ceremony which has been 
performed between them, and I can't see, under the circumstan- 
ces, what he can ever be to you again.'' 

Mrs. Stillman, sen., was about to reply, when a sudden and 
violent rap at the door engaged her attention. 

The friendly " come in" was answered by the entrance of Har- 
mer. He was evidently in great haste. 

'■ What's the matter ?" demanded Louisa, the first word. 

He looked first at her, and then at the old lady. 

•• You come with bad news : what is it ':" said Mrs. Stillman, 
sen. 

'• Your husband is lying at the point of death, and wishes to 
see you." 

At the point of death, and wishes to see me ?" she repeated 
mechanically, as if unable to comprehend the full meaning of 
the words. 



The Poison Root. 



337 



w Such is the fact/' said Harmer. "He is in great distress, 
and able to converse only a minute at a time." 

" Has he been sick long V inquired Louisa, while the old lady 
was trying to find her bonnet and shawl. 

" Xo. He went out this afternoon to gather roots, and found 
one very large, and looking so good, that he tasted it, and 
finally ate nearly the whole. It proves to be a mortal poison, 
and he cannot survive the effects." 

Mrs. Stillman, with the first knowledge of her husband's dan- 
ger, had lost all her presence of mind ; and her eager, anxious 
haste, as is usual in such cases, defeated her purpose of immedi- 
ate departure. She had flown to the cupboard for her 
bonnet. 

" Why, mother, you don't keep your bonnet in the cupboard," 
said Louisa, scarcely able to repress a smile. " Here, sit down 
— you are trembling, now, so that you can hardly stand. I will 
get your things. Don't suffer yourself to be overcome." 

Louisa, whose cool head and practised hand soon made the 
necessary preparations, concluded to go with them. 

"Your husband is there now," said Harmer. "I called, on 
my way here, and informed him of the situation of his 
father." 

As they approached the house, several persons were coming 
and going, while lights were glancing about, and now and then 
a deep, heavy groan indicated the mortal agony of the sufferer 
within. 

" He is not yet dead ?" whispered Harmer to an attendant 
beside the door. 

The person shook his head, and Mrs. Stillman drew near, but 
he"r tottering limbs refused her support, and she fell heavily 
across the bed. 

" Room ! room !" cried a bystander ; "a lady has fainted." 
But she did not faint. 

15 



338 



Female Life among the Mosmons. 



" My husband ! Oh, my husband ! can you ever forgive me ?" 
she faintly murmured. 

He answered not, for he was seized that moment with a 
frightful paroxysm of pain. His features grew livid ; great 
drops of cold sweat started from his forehead, as intense agony 
scorched and racked each shuddering limb. It passed over in a 
moment, however, and he spoke and smiled at the recognition 
of his wife, and then requested all but her to leave the room. 
Two or three of the elders hesitated, saying that he was not in 
his right mind, and did not understand the purport of his lan- 
guage. 

" He is in his right mind," said Harmer. " He is just coming 
to his senses, I believe," glancing at Fanny, who sat near the 
head of the bed. " He wishes to converse privately with his 
lawful wife. Will you go, or must I put you out ?" he contin- 
ued, while they still lingered. 

" Leave us alone !" shrieked the dying man, starting up in his 
bed ; for that moment the agony returned. 

They rose and left the room, all but Fan. 

" You, too," he said, motioning to her. • 

She obeyed mechanically, casting a look of hate and contempt 
on the favored wife. 

And the two were left alone with God. 

What transpired ; what words were spoken ; what tears 
shed ; the bliss and agony of that meeting, reconciliation, and 
parting, it is not in the power of my weak pen to describe. 
When the attendants again entered the apartment, Mrs. Still- 
man was kneeling by the bed in silent prayer ; and with him 
the bitterness of death had passed. The wild and burning 
agony that, an hour before, coursed like fire through his veins, 
had been succeeded by a torpid numbness, the precursor of imme- 
diate dissolution. A tranquil smile had settled over his coun- 
tenance, and he seemed like one falling into a pleasant slumber. 



The Ill-boding Wife. 339 

" Have you nothing to say to me, father ?" inquired Fanny, 
approaching the bed. 

He neither opened his eyes, nor answered her inquiry, and 
soon breathed his last. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

A SCENE. 

MRS. DALLAS, we have already said, was disposed to meet 
and anticipate trouble. There was no evil that flesh is 
heir to, that she had not apprehended as likely to fall on her- 
self or her family. If the children were playing out of doors, 
she was in a state of nervous expectancy that they would be 
bit, or poisoned, or charmed by toads, spiders, or snakes. She 
never enjoyed a visit or a ride, on account of the liability of their 
house to take fire, or for fear that the children would tumble 
from the windows, or fall down the well, or experience some 
other accident, of which there was not a particle of danger. 

But now, everything else was forgotten in the probability that 
her husband would take another wife. 

" But what makes you think so ?" inquired Mrs. Merry, to 
whom she had been unburdening her mind. " He is no likelier 
to marry again than my husband, and I have scarcely ever given 
the subject a thought." 

"Oh, but he is, Mrs. Merry — a great deal likelier 1" 
" Why so ?" . 

" Because your husband is devotedly attached to you — every 
body can see that." 

" I never thought that he was." 



340 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" You didn't ? — that is strange." 

" But Mrs. Binder, whose husband has just married his fourth 
wife, informed me that Mr. Binder was never so clever, and so 
fond of her, as when he. contemplated a new marriage." 

" The hypocrite 1" said Mrs. Dallas. " But I know perfectly 
well, that my husband will marry another. I am well satisfied 
that he has already decided on the person." 

" You are ?" 

" To be sure I am. I have noticed his looks and glances all 
cast in a certain direction. Isn't it too bad, when I have 
borne him so many children ; and Mrs. Hope declares that 
they are the most beautiful flock of little ones that she ever 
beheld." 

Mrs. Merry smiled blandly, and inquired who was the person 
favored with Mr. Dallas's regards. 

" That great, ugly, heathenish-looking thing, who goes sailing 
about with a red shawl and bonnet," said Mrs. Dallas. 

"What, Polly High ?" 

Mrs. Dallas nodded her head mysteriously. 

"Well, I don't wonder so much that you are worried, if that 
is the case," said Mrs. Merry. " "Why, I shouldn't never have 
thought it. Such a low-lived, vulgar creature ; and such a bad 
reputation, too ! I wonder what the world is coming to, when 
respectable men marry such women?'' 

"Respectable men," said Mrs. Dallas, sharply, "no respect- 
able man would marry more than one woman ; I don't call my 
husband respectable, I don't think there's a respectable man in 
Utah ; I know well enough that there isn't." 

" There are several men in Utah who remain true to their 
first wife." 

" But how long will their truth continue, — till they can get 
other wives, and not a moment longer. Women are getting 
scarce in Utah, the best ones have already left the market. I 



Meeting Troubles Halfway. 



341 



heard they were about to send to California for a fresh sup- 
ply." 

" Of what V 1 

u Women, to be sure." 

" Abominable I" said Mrs. Merry, lifting her hands and eyes. 
Mrs. Dallas put on a patient, resigned expression ; '*I long ago 
made up my mind," she said, " to bear it the best that I could, 
but when I think of that smirking, hateful creature, with her red 
dress and bonnet, my blood fairly boils." 

" How long is it since you first ascertained that Mr. Dallas 
was paying attention to her V 

" I cannot exactly tell, but not very long." 

This conversation continued for some time, and finally Mrs. 
Dallas began to weep, Mrs. Merry tried to soothe and quiet her, 
which only caused her to weep the harder. Another neighbor 
came in, who of course received intimation of the astounding 
fact, that Mr. Dallas was about being married to Polly High. 

"Well now, if that don't beat all, Polly High — who would 
ever have thought of such a thing ; 1 don't wonder that you are 
nearly killed about it," said this Job's comforter, " but really, 
much as I would like to, I cannot stay to condole with you," and 
the good neighbor walked off to unburden her budget of news ; 
Mrs. Merry soon followed, and Mrs. Dallas was left a lone to 
receive her husband. 

Though this woman had not the least ground for the suspicion 
or conjecture that preyed on her mind, and actually made her 
life miserable, she had communicated it to her friends in such a 
manner, that they received it as a settled fact, and told it as 
such ; everybody wondered at it ; the women raved, but the 
men laughed, and said that the intended bride deserved a good 
husband. Polly was certainly a favorite with the male portion 
of the community, which sufficiently accounts for the horror she 
inspired in -their spouses. 



342 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" If ray husband was to marry such a thing as that," said one, 
a sort of virago, " I'd actually take the butcher-knife to both of 
'em, that I would." 

"No you wouldn't,' 7 said the husband, "I'd take care that 
you didn't hurt her." 

" But I Would hurt her, — if you don't believe what I say, just 
try it." 

" That's what I'm going to • if she wasn't spoke for, I'd go 
straight there now." 

" Maybe you'd be preferred to Dallas, I'd go and see," said 
the wife, mockingly. 

" Guess I'd better," he said, and rising, he took down his hat 
from the peg where it hung near the door, and went out whist- 
ling a Mormon melody : 

" Charley had a buxom wife, 
Charley thought he'd take another." 

Walking down the street, he saw Dallas just returning home. 
" The women are all in hot water about you," he said, ap- 
proaching the other. 

" About me, what about me ?" 

" Why, because you're going to marry that High gal." 
" High gal, I don't understand you." 

" You needn't look so dreadful innocent," said Poorly, burst- 
ing into a loud laugh, " I never seed a feller sham astonishment 
so d natural before, in my life." 

" There's no sham about it, I am astonished, and no mistake ; 
what is it that you have heard ?" 

" Ha'n't I told you ?" 

" lso, you've been hinting at something that I know no 
more about than the man in the moon." 
" It came from your wife at any rate." 
" What did ?" 



She Put it in his Head. 



343 



" That you and Polly High were going to be married." 

" My wife never told that." 

" She did, though." 

" Who did she tell it to ?" 

" Mrs. Merry, and I don't know who else." 

" I can't imagine why she would tell such a story as that," 
said Dallas, " you must have been misinformed." 

" It strikes me," said Poorly, " that you need another wife ; 
it would certainly save you a good deal of running about after 
hired girls ; your wife always wants to keep one, don't she ?" 

" Yes, she would have one continually if she could." 

" Then, all you have to do is to get another wife ; she'll work 
for her keep, which will be much cheaper than hiring girls ; 
then you'll have the pleasure of her society — on the whole it will 
be a first rate plan." 

" Like enough," said Dallas turning his face and his feet tow- 
ards home, 

Dallas had never seriously thought of marrying another wife 
before in his life. True, he lived in a community where the 
thing was common, but one woman seemed determined to make 
him the patriarch of a numerous flock, and now it occurred to 
him that it would be an act of benevolence to the overburdened 
wife to bring in another to share her labors and responsibilities. 
It would be much better than to depend on hired girls, with 
little chance of ever getting one to stay more than a day or two, 
it certainly would, and he walked towards home full of the new 
idea. 

" And suppose my wife does find fault with it," he mentally 
ejaculated, " she's apt to find fault and worry about nothing, so 
that on the whole, it won't make much difference, she'll get used 
to it, and be pleased with it, especially when she sees its advan- 
tages. Then, when she was sick there would be somebody to 



344 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



nurse her, without my spending all the time of her illness in 
looking for help. If the baby was cross, there would be some- 
body to assist in taking care of it. Upon the whole I think that 
the plan would be a good one." He could not decide to mention 
the matter to his wife, however. " I know just how she'll do," 
he continued, " cry and cough, snivel, and blow her nose, that's 
the way she always works it ; I never know whether she'll be 
pleased or not, though the chances are against it. She's for ever 
meeting trouble and expecting it, even when there's no likelihood 
of its coming, so, of course, I shan't make much account of her 
opposition one way nor t'other." 

Mrs. Dallas, as usual, was weeping when her husband entered 
the house. He was naturally a lively, volatile man, and the 
sight of her tears almost sickened him. Not because he was 
hard-hearted or unfeeling, or indifferent to her sorrow, when she 
really had occasion to grieve. But tears and murmurs and 
apprehensions of evil, when perpetually indulged in, weary and 
disgust the best of husbands. 

Dallas had found his wife in tears, probably twenty times, 
during the last two weeks. At first he kindly and affection- 
ately inquired, " What was the matter ?" 

" Nothing," accompanied by a great sob. 

"Was she sick ?" 

" No," with another sob. 

" Did she want anything ?" 

Another "no," and another sob. 

" Then what did ail her ?" 

" Nothing," again. 

" But I know better ; something is the matter ; either tell 
what it is or quit crying." 

" She was sorry if people couldn't have the privilege of shed- 
ding tears whenever they chose, ^he had long known that hus- 



A Domestic Scene, 



345 



bands wished to rule the tongues of their wives, but had hoped 
that the privilege of weeping would never be meddled with or 
infringed." 

After this rebuke, Dallas questioned her no more. She wept, 
or let it alone ; and he said nothing. He whistled, or sang, or 
read, while she sat sobbing ; but, on the evening already men- 
tioned, he naturally gave way to a burst of impatience. 

"I shall make it a bargain with my second wife that she 
never weeps. I am getting to hate the very sight of tears," he 
said. " It's a mystery to me what good it can do women to be 
always crying about nothing." 

Mrs. Dallas sobered up sufficiently to remark, that " men were 
not expected to understand the cause of a woman's tears." 

u And faith, I never want to understand them," he answered. 

" No one supposes that you do ; but when is this madam to 
make her appearance ?" 

"Pretty soon, I imagine, if you don't stop this everlasting 
snivel. I'm tired to death seeing it. I can't have a minute's 
rational conversation with you once a mouth, and, as for 
anything like mirth, I might as well expect a grave-yard to 
laugh." 

" Your cruelty is killing me," she sobbed. 

" My cruelty killing you ; you are killing yourself, more like, 
by this foolish way you have got of grieving over imaginary 
troubles. What is it that I have done ?" 

She made no answer. 

" Tell me, madam, what it is that I have done." 
Still silent. 

" Well, I shall tell you what I am going to do, and that quickly, 
too. I'm going to marry another wife. I will have somebody 
to chat and converse with when I come home — somebody that 
will look on the bright side of things, and not try to plague and 
discourage me as you have done." 

15* 



346 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



"I have not tried to plague and discourage you." 

" Well, you know that it does plague me to always find you 
weeping about nobody knows what. I want a wife for her 
society, but heaven knows that utter loneliness were preferable 
to constant tears." 

"I presume that your next wife will entertain you much 
better than I can hope to." 

" It is hopeful that she will better than you have." 

" Especially while she is a new thing." 

"New or old, I never like this crying over imaginary 
evils." 

" But the evil isn't imaginary." 
"What is it, then?" 

"Why, ha'n't you just told me that you were going to marry 
another 1 and wouldn't that make any woman cry ?" 

" But I never thought of marrying again before to-day, and 
you have been crying, off and on, this two weeks, though as to 
the matter of that, you have always been at it." 

Again Mrs. Dallas was silent. 

"Who told you that I was going to marry another," he 
inquired, presently. 
"Nobody." 

" Then how did you know anything about it ? Such a 
thought had never entered my head, till I understood that you 
had reported it for a fact." 

" That was a mistake." 

" What did you say, then ?" 

" That I suspected it, feared it ; nothing more." 

" Didn't you say that I had been paying attention to Polly 
High V 

" Her name was mentioned, not exactly that way, though." 
"How then ?" 

" I don't know what necessity there is for repeating the whole 



Difficulties Thicken. 



341 



of our conversation. Indeed, I can't remember half that was 
said." 

" A fine gossip, no doubt ; but I must be entertained with 
silence and tears. However, since you have made me think of 
it, I have concluded that it would be a good plan." 

" I made you think of it—think of what ?" 

" Of having another wife." 

Mrs. Dallas opened her mouth to speak. 

" Not one word," he said ; " you are always a prophet of 
evil — always expecting misfortune of some kind or another, and 
I wish you to hear me." 

" I have no desire to hear you," she answered ; " and what is 
more, I will not hear you, if you think or attempt to excuse 
this diabolical system of polygamy." 

" Capital," said Dallas, laughing ; " your anger becomes you 
mightily. Well, a woman may storm and rave and scold just 
as much as she pleases, so she won't cry and snivel ; I'll think it 
first rate. But now, wife, I wan't you to consider this thing, 
and how nice and sisterly it would be to have some one to help 
you always — how nice it would be for me." 

" No doubt of that," interposed the wife. 

" I shouldn't have to be running all over the country, vainly 
endeavoring to hire girls." 

" You'd have to run more than you do now, like-enough. 
You'd have to hire girls to wait on both wives instead of 
one." 

" No, I shouldn't ; because one wife could wait on the other." 
" You wouldn't expect me to wait on your other wife ?" 
" If she needed it." 

"You'd expect something, then, that wouldn't ever transpire ; 
I'd never lift a finger to save her from perishing ;" and the 
sparkling eyes and animated countenance of Mrs. Dallas, told 
now much she was under the influence of passionate resentment. 



348 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



"Ah," retorted Dallas, " wives can be managed, if husbands 
are resolute. I should teach you better than that." 
" Doubtful." 

" Besides, when one wife's mad, another would think it for 
her interest to be pleased, when one scolded, the other would 
laugh, when one sulked and cried, the other would chat and be 
merry; so you would be certain of fair weather from some quar- 
ter ; a blessing not often experienced here." 

" What did you ever marry me for ?" said Mrs. Dallas, ener- 
getically, " I never sought your attentions, never run after you 
through heat and cold, never coaxed and implored to be blessed 
with your love," and she looked him sternly in the face. " I 
knew then that 1 shouldn't suit you long, knew that our dispo- 
sitions were so different there could be nothing reciprocal 
between them, but you persisted in believing the contrary. I 
shed tears even, while consenting to be your wife, because I felt 
that our married life would be unhappy. I shed tears on our 
wedding day, because the same evil presentiment haunted me. 
You say I have met trouble, though that would have been 
impossible, if the trouble had not also met me. I have expe- 
rienced the very evils that I anticipated, and you, the author of 
them, would refuse me even the luxury of tears." 

" Because I have become weary of seeing you weep." 

" And don't you suppose that I am weary of weeping, weary 
of having anythiug to weep about ?" 

Dallas sat several moments in deep meditation, " I see it all 
now," he said at length*"; " our marriage has been unhappy, 
because I didn't sufficiently consider your temper and inclination 
in the first place, but now it is too late to repent. The ties 
between us can never be obliterated without crime on one side 
or the other. We must make the most of our bargain, and to 
do this, it is absolutely necessary for each one to conform his or 
her disposition to that of the other. I have had a pretty hard 



Mutual Recriminations. 



349 



trial sometimes, harder than you may imagine, to buffet along 
with the world, and provide the comforts of life for my family, 
but I have always tried to keep up my spirits, to look on the 
bright side of everything, and to hope for the best. Neither 
have I ever distressed or troubled you with forebodings of evil ; 
I have never come home with a cloud on my countenance, but 
you have met my smiles with tears, my hopes with presenti- 
ments, my delights with anticipated ills. When to-day has been 
bright, you have lost all the pleasure of it, because there might 
be clouds to-morrow, and thus it has always been.' 7 

Mrs. Dallas sat perfectly silent, her face buried in her hands. 
She could not help feeling that his accusations were, in a 
measure, true, and that she had wearied him with tears and 
reproaches, for which there was really no occasion, but pride 
prevented a concession of that kind, and she only said, after a 
long silence : 

" You ought not to have been so importunate to marry a 
woman so reprehensible in temper and conduct." 

u I know it," he replied, gloomily, " I have often thought so 
lately." 

" I hope you will look out better next time, and that the 
coming bride will be a paragon of perfection," she said bitterly. 
" And so do I." 

Again there was a silence of several minutes, at length he 
spoke : 

" But, my dear wife, can't you restrain, in some degree, these 
faults of temper which are so aggravating to me ? Can't you 
cease this everlasting weeping, and meet me, when I return 
from my toils at night, with a smiling countenance ? Can't you 
let me see that my efforts to make you happy are duly appre- 
ciated, and not utterly and totally of no avail ?" 

" I shall make no promises," she answered, " because I am not 
confident of my strength to keep them." 



350 Female Life among the Mormons. 

Dallas arose without uttering another word, and left the 
room. One week* from that day, he brought Polly High to 
share the burdens and responsibilities of his household. 



CHAPTER XXXYIII. 

EMILY AGAIN. 

ft TTATE you seen anything of Emily?" inquired Harmer 
one day, as I met him along the street. 

" Seen Emily ? no, not for several days." 

" Well, I'd like to know where she is, anyhow." 

" Why, is she lost V> 

" Something has gone of her." 

" You astonish me ; isn't she at Mr. Stillman's ?" 

" Louisa knows nothing about her. She says that it is nearly 
a week since Emily started to go to your house, and she has seen 
nothing of her since. Mrs. Beardsley is certain that the Indians 
have carried her off, and only wonders that they have not kid- 
napped somebody before." 

" Have there been any Indians about ?" 

" Not very recently ; and what would the Indians want of 
her ?" 

" The Indians are friendly, they wouldn't spirit her away." 

Mrs. Bradish approached, "What. are you discussing, good 
people ?" she inquired. 

"I will answer that question by asking another; have you 
seen anything of Emily ?" 

" Not lately." 

" Who has, I wonder.' 7 



The Missing Maiden. 



" I can't tell, indeed. Is she among the missing ?" 
et So it seems." 

" I saw her last week going out to botanize in the valley, and 
I well recollect that our Prophet entertained some Indians that 
very day, because I saw them coming out of his house just after 
I parted with Emily." 

" Are you sure of this ?" 

"I am." 

" Then Mrs. Beardsley must be right ; the Indians have pro- 
bably carried her off, thinking to obtain a ransom. We must 
find out to what tribe they belonged. Can you recollect what 
day you saw them ?" 

Mrs. Bradish thought she could recollect, and volunteered 
moreover to go at once to B— m, and inform him of the 
circumstance. 

Curious to hear and see for myself, I decided to accompany 
her. He received us graciously, listened with apparent astonish- 
ment to our narration, but seemed perfectly at ease with respect 
to the Indians ; supposed that Emily was well enough off, pro- 
bably visiting somewhere, and would return when she got ready, 
did not think there was any probability that a misfortune could 
have happened to her, and counselled us to have faith, and all 
would go well. 

Mrs. Bradish was evidently dissatisfied with his cool manner 
of dismissing the subject. 

a Whatever you may think to the contrary notwithstanding, 
I am perfectly well convinced myself, that the Indians are at the 
bottom of the mischief, and it seems strange to me that you 
refuse to inform us of their tribe, or the name of their 
chief." 

"Because, madam, I fear that something might be said or 
done, that would embroil us with these people. It is for our 
interest to keep them friendly, and as there is scarcely a possi- 



352 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



bility that they know aught of the matter, I prefer that the 
names and tribe of my visitors should remain a mystery." 

"But somebody must know," said Mrs. Bradish. 

" You have no evidence even of that." 

" Then what has gone of her ?" 

" That is a question which I am unable to answer, though I 
have no apprehension on her account. She is able to take care 
of herself." 

" It is possible that she has wandered off, and got lost among 
the mountains." 

" Oh ! I guess not," replied B m coldly. 

" At any rate, I shan't rest," said Mrs. Bradish, " until I find 
out where she is. I can't. She was my particular friend, so 
good, and so beautiful ; excuse me, sire, but I fancied that the 
tender regards you entertained for her, would have made you 
sensibly alive to her danger." 

" Her danger ? I am not apprehensive that she is in danger," 
he said. " You have no faith." 

I regarded the countenance of this man, so calm and sinister 
in its expression, and mentally inquired, if it could be possible 
that his indifference and unconcern arose from a knowledge of 
the place of her concealment. But I could scarcely find it in 
my heart to believe that such depravity actually existed, and 
forbore to mention or encourage such a suspicion. 

Leaving the habitation of the Prophet, who at parting 
exhorted us not to grieve or worry ourselves, for God and the 
angels would take care of our innocent and youthful sister, and 
doubtless restore her to us unharmed, though Mrs. Bradish the 
moment we were out of hearing, declared that he had used us 
shabbily, and that she didn't like it, we found Harmer waiting 
to hear the result of the interview. 

" Nothing ! nothing I" said Mrs. Bradish, anticipating his 
inquiries. " He refuses to tell us anything, though I marvel 



The Alarm Increases. 



353 



whether he knows himself; takes the matter amazing cool, thinks 
she'll come back when she gets ready, and such like. 5 ' 

"The villain 1" ejaculated Harmer; "but I have found out, 
and no thanks to him. Charley Moore saw Emily go into the 
valley to gather flowers, the Indians were a tribe of the Utahs, 
their chief's name is Walker, and the lands they infest are in the 
immediate neighborhood of the Wahsatch mountains; I start to 
go there this night." 

" Do nothing rashly," I said, for the thought forced itself on 
me, that Emily might be found nearer home, but having no 
evidence I feared to communicate my suspicions. 

" At what time will you start ?" 

" When the moon rises, which is near midnight." 

"Well," said Mrs. Bradish, glancing at the sun, "between 
now and then, I will visit every house to alarm the inhabitants 
and make inquiries. You stop at Mr. Ward's. I will be there 
to report the result." 

He assented to the proposal, and she departed immediately to 
execute her plan. Returning home, I met Louisa dreadfully 
agitated. " Have you seen aught of Emily ?" she inquired 
anxiously. 

" I have not." 

" It beats all ; I supposed her to be at your house until a 
short time ago. I thought, too, that she was making rather a 
long visit, and several times had it in my mind to come round 
there, but something hindered. Harmer, however, grew impa- 
tient, and started off to hunt her up, and I guess it was well he 
did." 

" She came to our house, I suppose, in my absence, and then 
went to the valley to gather flowers," 
" And has not been seen since ?" 
" Not that we can ascertain." 
" She must have been kidnapped by the Indians." 



354 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" Or lost among the mountains." 

" In which case we shall never see her again,' 7 said Louisa, 
bursting into tears. 

" B m says that if we have faith all will be well." 

" How did he take it ?" inquired Louisa, wiping her eyes. 

" Cool as a cucumber, and even opposed our taking any mea- 
sures to discover her." 

" Why, that's strange." 

" It looked so to me, after the regard that he has professed 
for her." 

" But as she has always refused his addresses, he may be 
indifferent to her misfortunes, through a motive of revenge." 

" Or, or he may know more about the matter than he chooses 
to tell." 

Louisa looked surprised, and a gleam of intelligence passed 
over her features. 

We separated, and I went directly home. Of course my 
thoughts were with Emily, and her unaccountable absence. 

Then, too, the calm indifference of B m would rise to my 

memory, and overwhelm me with astonishment. Notwithstand- 
ing my endeavors to the contrary, I would find myself mentally 
forming conjectures as to his possible implication in the affair. 
Mr. Ward said that the Indians were probably the perpetrators 
of the outrage, or that she had become lost and bewildered in 
the deep intricacies of the hills and valleys. He related instan- 
ces of people having become lost even amid the most familiar 
scenes. " One lady of his acquaintance had started to visit a 
friend, who lived on the opposite side of a narrow piece of 
woods. She travelled some distance along, as she thought, the 
accustomed paths, when she came in sight of a house that looked 
both strange and familiar. She noticed likewise the cows, the 
poultry, and the general appearance of things, how much they 
looked like those belonging to her, and, having become conscious 



An Expedition starts in Search op Emily. 355 

by this time that something was wrong, she determined to enter, 
when, to her infinite surprise, she ascertained that it was her 
own home. Instances of females thus becoming lost were of 
almost daily occurrence, and it would not be in the least aston- 
ishing if such was the case with Emily." 

" A week in the mountains ; she can hardly be living then." 

"Never indulge in such forebodings as that," said Mr. 
Ward. " She could live many weeks in the woods, as the wea- 
ther is very mild, and there seems to be an abundance of roots." 

" Which she would scarcely dare to eat after their fatal effect 
on Mr. Stillman." 

" Hunger would banish fear, I imagine," he answered, just as 
Mrs. Bradish came in. 

My first words were : 

" What success ?" 

" None at all," she replied. " Nobody has seen or heard tell 
of her that I can find." 

" And what do the people think ?" 

"Some say that the Indians have taken her, others that she 
is lost in the woods. Of course there will be different opinions. 
A party of men are going out to-night to look for her — I never 
saw them so excited." 

Harmer soon came in, accompanied by Buckley and Charley 
Moore. Buckley had made preparations to depart for Califor- 
nia across the Sierra Nevada, but postponed his journey until 
the fate of Emily was ascertained. Consequently, they had both 
decided to accompany Harmer. They were well armed with 
rifles, pistols and knives, and provided with an abundance of 
ammunition. 

" God speed and prosper your way," said Mrs. Bradish. 

There was a hearty response of "amen" from all assembled, 
which comprised quite a number of young and old. It had been 
decided that the young men should go with Harmer, as the 



356 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



Indian trail led directly through the valley, where she had last 
been seen. They were furnished with horns, whistles and dogs, 
and were evidently sanguine of success. 

" I doubt if her strength would hold out to travel a great 
way," said one. 

"We shall find her not far off, but overcome with fatigue, 
and sleeping in a cave/' said another. 

" She may have found some Indian settlement," suggested a 
third. 

At length the moon showed her broad bright disk over the 
adjacent hills, and the farewells being said, the party set off. 



i>» A VISITOR, ma," said our youngest daughter, now grown 



jjl to be a woman. 
" Indeed ! Who is it ? 
" Mrs. Melton, I believe." 
The lady soon entered, habited in deep black. 
I involuntarily glanced at her unusual apparel. She noticed 
this, and not being a person to stand on ceremony, immediately 
began the relation of her troubles. 

"I have dressed in mourning, Mrs. Ward," she said, "and 
yet no outward form or ceremonial of sorrow can shadow forth 
the poignant anguish that weighs down my heart. It is dread- 
ful to lay a child in the damp cold earth, yet more so, much 
more so, to have her immolated on the altar of Mammon. And 
such marriages as are tolerated and approved here seem to me 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 



marriages. 




She Mourns as for the Dead. 



35? 



actually horrible. I have argued aud reasoned with Mr. Mel- 
ton, and used my utmost endeavors to get him to relent, but all 
in vain. He is determined to sell the girls to Weldy, and 
nothing but death will prevent the consummation of the sacri- 
fice," and the poor mother began to weep. 

" What do the girls say about it ?" I inquired. 

" Henriette is nearly distracted. Margaret said a good deal 
at first, but finding that her father was resolved, she relapsed 
into her gloomy and moody habit. She has all along been sub- 
ject to fits of melancholy, and I suppose that they will return 
on her now with accumulated strength." 

" We never knew that she was subject to such spells." 

"Few persons do know it, because we always tried to keep it 
still, but it will have to become public now, if she's going into 
all that family. It all comes from the cruelty of her father." 

" How so ?" 

" He refused to let her marry an amiable young man, who 
was deeply attached to her, and whose passion she reciprocated. 
It nearly proved her death at the time, and she has never 
entirely recovered from its effects." 

"But why did Mr. Melton refuse to permit her to marry 
him ?" 

" Because he was not able to bestow a valuable gift in 
return." 

" I can scarcely understand what the man must be thinking of." 

" Of money, to be sure — money, that everlastingly fills his 
thoughts by day, and his dreams by night. He looks on his 
daughters as legitimate subjects of speculation, because, he says, 
that they have cost him so much. Heaven knows how, and it 
would puzzle any mortal to tell. Henriette knelt at her 
father's feet, and implored him with tears of agony to have pity 
upon her, and save her from such a dreadful fate, but he spurned 



358 



Female Life among the Mormons 



and reproached her, accused her of ingratitude in not consent- 
ing willingly to his choice, especially when it brought such 
valuable gifts to his hands. At this she grew exasperated, and 
threatened to leave his house and protection, and go off among 
the Indians. He replied that he would find her, if he had to 
search the world over, and that she should be married to 
Weldy, if she went to the altar in chains. Henriette's temper 
being fully aroused, she asserted that they were all barbarians ; 
that the religion of Mormon was from the devil ; that polygamy 
was an abominable institution, and that though they might 
compel her to stand up with the man she hated, she would 
never by word or deed signify her assent to the contract — never. 

" ' Then you dare to disobey me V he said. 

" 1 1 dare to disobey any man, who seeks to make me a slave, 
and whose tyranny would embitter my whole life. When you 
ask me to marry that hideous old man, who looks like an ogre, 
and acts like a fool — a man whose home is shared already by a 
dozen wives, good, bad, and indifferent, two or three of whom 
are Indians, others Spanish, and several Dutch — is it possible 
that you expect me to consent willingly — more horrible still, 
when this same old man that wishes to become my husband, 
desires to take my sister in the same day — to purchase us, giv- 
ing in exchange horses and cows, can you expect us to conform, 
unless by actual compulsion ?' 

" ' Henriette,' said Mr. Melton, ' you are certainly old enough 
to know that all this is folly. It makes no difference how many 
' wives he has. Solomon married a king's daughter, though he 
had taken wives from all the nations about Judah. Do you 
fancy yourself superior to that princess of the royal house of 
Egypt. I am really ashamed of you.' 

" - And I am ashamed of my father,' interposed Margaret, 
vehemently, ' ashamed that any man, professing to be influ- 



A Hard-hearted Old Man. 



359 



enced by a divine spirit, should make the marriage of his daugh- 
ters an occasion of enriching himself ; and such a marriage, too ; 
my soul is sickened by the thought of it. 7 

" I told the girls subsequently that, though their father 
remained inexorable, it was possible that they might hope for 
release from the generosity of their lover, if such a heart could 
be considered capable of such a feeling. 

" ' I would just as soon,' said Henriette, ' trust to the com- 
passion of a hungry lion.' 

"Margaret, however, said that she was willing to make the 
attempt, and volunteered to commence the subject herself. 

" 'Here comes Weldy, now/ said Henriette, looking from the 
window. 

" ' ]S"ow, then, is your time, girls, now that your father is 
absent,' I exclaimed, ' and Heaven grant that you may soften 
his iron hearts 

"Weldy came In, saluted the girls with apparent fondness, 
made an attempt to compliment their beauty, which proved 
exceedingly awkward, and then inquired for Mr. Melton. 

'"He is not at home, Brother Weldy ; and we consider his 
absence rather fortunate than otherwise on the present occasion. 
We wish to appeal to your good sense and generous feelings, as 
a man of honor and principle, to withdraw your suit for the 
hands of these girls, who are too young to assume the responsi- 
bilities of married life, and altogether unsuitable to your cir- 
cumstances.' 

"'Excuse me, madam,' he answered, 'but I must dissent 
from your opinions. These young ladies, in my house, at least, 
will have no responsibilities to assume. My establishment is 
well governed and directed, by older and competent heads. 
Nothing will be required of them, but gentleness ar d obedience, 
and that deference which youth is always expected to render to 
seniority.' 



360 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" Here I informed him that my girls had always been accus- 
tomed to have their own way. 

" 'Yes/ said Margaret, 'and I am the last one to bow to 
hoary hairs, when they cover a fool's skull, as is frequently the 
case.' 

" ' I shall neither be gentle nor obedient,' said Henriette, 
' because I loathe and despise both you and your wives. I 
won't do nothing that you wish me to, not a single thing. I 
expect you want me to be a sort of nurse and waiter, to run 
after your thirty young 'uns, but I shan't do it, I shan't touch 
the squalling, yelping brats. I never could bear 'em, I can't 
yet, and I won't have nothing to do with 'em.' 

" Weldy laughed at this, a regular loud horse laugh. He did 
not seem the least bit angry, as I expected that he would, but 
fairly shook the rafters with a hearty roar. 

" ' Xo, my beauty,' he said, ' I don't expect any such thing. 
You're much too slender and delicate to be hiking a great child 
about ; I know that very well. JSo one shall impose such 
duties on you, and I shall not wish you to do anything contrary 
to your pleasure, rest assured of that.' 

" ' And don't you wish me to do anything contrary to my 
pleasure V she inquired, quickly. 

" But Weldy was not to be caught that way. 

" ' I shall not, my dear, when you are mine — legally mine.' 

" * Mr. Weldy, I beg, I entreat of you, to give up all design 
of marrying us,' said Margaret. ' You cannot conceive how 
much, how much and how deeply, we loathe and abhor the situ- 
ation you offer us. Our ages, your circumstances, everything 
precludes the possibility of happiness for either in that state. 
We cannot love you, neither can you love us, and marriage 
without love must be unhappy.' 

" ' Pshaw, half the marriages in the world are consummated 
from motives of policy, or expediency,' said Weldy, and then he 



The Hoary Lover and Youthful Victims. 361 

went on to argue the point, that ' marrying for love was an anti- 
quated notion, altogether unsuitable for this utilitarian age ; 
that he had married for love once, and but once, and that the 
wife he then obtained had proved the least lovable of any one 
of the dozen, and he thanked heaven for the lesson it afforded 
him ; that, generally speaking, those marriages in which there 
was the least of what was romantically and sillily called love, 
were_jalways the happiest ; and that, for his part, he anticipated 
the greatest amount of real, solid, steady-going bliss from his 
approaching nuptials, with two such beautiful and accomplished 
ladies.' 

" ' But, Mr. Weldy, can't you, won't you give us up ? Won't 
you tell father that you have changed your mind, and no longer 
want us ? Do, do have pity upon us, and we will bless you 
for ever.' 

" ' Have pity upon you, have pity upon you, my charmer, 
and why should I pity one so young and beautiful. I love, I 
adore, I admire you ; I would pity you and myself, too, as to 
that matter, if anybody else was to have you, because no 
one can be so sensible of your attractions as myself. Nobody 
else could ever prize you as you deserve to be prized,' and he 
attempted to embrace her. 

" Margaret sprang from his outstretched arms with a scream, 
and Henriette reminded him that he had just declared that he 
never made but one love match. 

Which was the truth,' he answered, 'though it's a clear 
case, that in marrying you, any man would have to marry for 
love, because every man must love you at first sight.' 

"These silly and unmeaning compliments greatly disgusted the 
girls, and Margaret called out, ' Weldy, I believe that you are 
a fool.' 

" ' If such is the case, it's all attributable to you,' he answered. 
■ What is the penalty when a girl turns the brain of a man V 

16 



362 Female Life ahong the Mormons. 

" 'Whether or not your brain is turned, Mr. Weldy, I believe 
that my girls are perfectly innocent of it. Here you are, old 
enough to be their father, and with a dozen wives already, deal- 
ing your balderdash compliments. I am sick of it, sick of such 
nonsense, and impertinence, and folly. I had hoped something 
from your generosity, but I see that I was mistaken in the 
man.' 

" 'Really, Madam,' he replied, 'you make this marriage with 
your daughters very expensive ; I have come down handsomely 
to your husband. Did you desire a new shawl or dress V 

" I was so offended at this pretended misunderstanding of my 
wishes,' 7 continued Mrs. Melton, " that I was half inclined to 
take the broom and drive him from the house." 

' : I wonder that you didn't," I remarked - "such imperti- 
nence !" 

" Wasn't it though, really outrageous ; when all I desired 
was to preserve my daughters from such an unnatural union ?" 

" He just said it to tantalize you," I exclaimed. 

" I knew that very well, and replied, that though my shawls 
and dresses were less stylish than might be, I regarded them as 
of no consequence, compared to the happiness of my children • 
and then he had the impudence to assure me that their felicity 
would be secured by marriage with him. 

" 'Why, Madam/ he said, 'I am astonished at your objec- 
tions, they are so trivial and frivolous. You have nothing to 
say against my moral character, or that I am ineligible in a 
pecuniary point of view, because you are aware that on all these 
points I am good as the best. But you talk about age, as if 
many young wives hadn't been perfectly happy with old hus- 
bands, and as if what had happened once, couldn't happen again, 
I only expect them to honor and obey, and as I am not a man 
of sentiment, I shall be perfectly satisfied with that. Well as I 
love them, I neither ask, nor wish them to love me. AW is, 



A Model Father. 



363 



they mustn't love somebody else, that would set the house on 
fire at once.' 

" A thought struck Margaret, and she said, ' Suppose we con- 
fess to you that we love another now V 

" ' I should know the confession was false, because your father 
told me that you had never had a lover.' 

" ' Then my father told you a falsehood ; mother, here, shall 
decide.' 

•• ' You have, my child,' I answered, addressing Margaret ; 
' I don't know that Henriette ever had.' 

■ - ' Oh, well, it is nothing ; all I ask you to do is to honor 
and obey me.' 

" • And that I shall not do.' 

" Again he set up a roaring, screaming laugh, in which 
nobody joined ; when, greatly to our surprise and confusion, 
Mr. Melton entered the room. 

" He looked rather astonished, and said, addressing Weldy ; 
' You, sir, must find my wife and daughters very good company.' 

M ' Oh, very good, charming ; but don't you think they have 
been trying to make me believe that our intended marriage will 
be unhappy, and all that sort of thing.' 

" Mr. Melton glanced angrily from one to the other ; ' I have 
forbidden any such suppositions or conversations,' he said, ' and 
yet they persist in disobedience.' 

" ' Women have been willful and perverse since the days of 
Adam,' replied Weldy. 

" ' Then what do you want so many of them for V I inquired. 

" ' Oh/ he answered with a leer, l - they are dear creatures, 
notwithstanding all their willfulness and perversity.' 

" ' And these stiff-necked and disobedient girls would refuse 
the honor you offer them,' said Mr. Melton, 1 they deserve a 
severe punishment.' 

" ' No, don't punish them,' said Weldy, 1 1 wouldn't, on any 



364 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



account, that a hair of their beautiful heads should be injured, 
much less for any contumely that they may offer me. Of course 
I am not worthy of them ; no one can be more sensible of his 
unworthiness, and for this reason, perhaps, more than any other, 
heaven has blessed me with so many wives, and seems to intend 
blessing me with more.' 

" 1 1 should think/ said Margaret, ' that probably the other 
personage had more to do with it than heaven. Heaven only 
bestowed one wife on Adam in Paradise ; it would scarcely give 
a greater number to sinful men in their fallen state. 7 

" ' What do you know of such things V inquired Mr. Melton. 

" ' I had ought to know something about them, considering 
the circumstances in which I am placed.' 

" ' As for me, I think that the less a woman knows the better. 
Knowledge is not suitable for women, it makes them opiniona- 
tive and consequential. They are not so easily governed, and the 
proper government of the women, is the foundation of all domes- 
tic peace.' 

" Weldy laughed, and such a laugh, that his coarse ungaiuly 
features only looked uglier and more repulsive. ' You can know 
but little about women, however, you, whose domestic expe- 
rience has been confined to the possession of only one wife.' 

" ' But now I am going to turn over a new leaf,' said Mr. 
Melton, glancing at me, 1 I have been married this after- 
noon.' 

"'Been married this afternoon, Oh, Lord!' screamed Mar- 
garet, ' what will come next.' 

"'Your own happy nuptials, I suppose,' said Weldy; and 
going to Mr. Melton, he congratulated him on the prospect of 
happiness for the future, with a hearty shake of the hand ; said 
he was always glad to see his friends evince a determination to 
enjoy life, and finally concluded by asking who might be the 
happy bride " 



Matrimonial Speculations. 



365 



" And was that the first intimation you received that your 
family was to have an addition ?" 
" The very first." 

" And you didn't faint, nor grow sick ?" 

" Oh, no ; I thought, even then, more of the horrible fate to 
which my children were destined, than of what misery might 
result to me, under any possible circumstances." 

w Mr. Melton then condescended to inform us that, being 
likely to get rid of the burden of providing for his daughters, he 
fancied that he could support another wife in tolerable com- 
fort, especially, as she possessed a good round sum of money, 
which was to be placed in his hands, at the expiration of a 
month. 

11 1 Well, you are one lucky dog, anyhow,' said Weldy. ' Now, 
here I have to pay you for these girls, while you go right off 
and bargain for a wife who has money. That's the advantage 
of marrying a wife who has no relations.' 

" ' Ain't it, though V 

" 1 1 reckon you'll be for getting another, won't you V 
"'Not at all unlikely, if I could come across one with 
money.' 

" ' You always look out for the main chance.' 
" ' Don't I ? Well, who has a better right ?' 
" ' Nobody.' 

" And thus they continued talking for a long time," continued 
Mrs. Melton, " and I discovered that on the same day when my 
daughters were to leave home for the house of their husband, 
Mr. Melton designed to bring his bride to fill their place — their 
place, indeed, as if my heart can ever receive, or look upon her, 
with any feelings save those of dislike and contempt." 

"I am astonished that Mr. Melton should take another wife. 
I did not even suppose that he would entertain the idea of such 
a thing." 



366 Female Life among the Mormons. 



"Why, Mrs. Ward, there is not a man in Utah, who has not 
seriously revolved in his mind the expediency of sach a course. 
Of course, they must think of it, when it is made the basis of 
sermons and conversations. Men are continually inquiring of 
one another, what they think of it, how they like it, and all such 
questions. And Mr. Melton, if he imagines that another wife 
will add to his happiness, I am perfectly satisfied that he should 
try the experiment ; but my poor, dear girls " — and the mother 
burst into tears. 

" It is possible, Mrs. Melton," I said, " that your girls may 
be much happier than you anticipate, though it is not at all 
wonderful, that you, or any person of rightly-constituted mind, 
should regard such an incestuous connection with horror. 
Weldy, even now, seems less heartless than Mr. Melton ; and I 
presume these girls might exercise twice the influence over him, 
that they could over their father. They are young and beauti- 
ful, and"— 

" But the sin, Mrs. Ward — the wickedness of living in such a 
state ; that is dreadful in my eyes ; for, whatever they may say 
to the contrary, it is — it must be — a sin. I wish my daughters 
to be pure in heart ; I brought them up to virtue, and now that 
this must be the consummation, almost drives me mad. Some- 
times I have been tempted to act the part of the Roman matron, 
and at others, have been ready to arraign the justice of heaven, 
that thus permitted one portion of mankind to trample on the 
happiness and rights of the other." 

" It is all, I suppose, for some wise end." 

Mrs. Melton shook her head doubtingly, and soon after rose 
to take leave. 



Tee Unsuccessful Search. 



367 



CHAPTER X L . 

A CONSULTATION. 

CONTRARY to the expectations of nearly all the village, 
the party who had accompanied Harmer in pursuit of 
Emily, returned, without having obtained any information of 
her. There was nothing in the valley to indicate that she had 
ever been there. There were no traces in the soft mud, by the 
brook-side ; neither broken flowers, nor shreds of garments. All 
concluded that, had she passed that way, there would have been 
something significant of the fact. Hence they determined to 
prosecute the search in another direction. 

Mrs. Beardsley declared that she had known, all along, that 
they would not find her. To be sure, they wouldn't ; wild 
beasts, or Indians, or something else, had destroyed her, long 
before this time. $ 

"May, be not," said Mrs. Stillman, sen., who had taken up 
her residence with Louisa, since the death of her husband. 

11 If it had been Fan Simpkins (for I will never call her Still- 
man)," said Louisa, " I actually wouldn't have cared at all ; 
but Emily — so beautiful, and amiable, and innocent— for Such a 
dreadful thing to befall her, almost makes me doubt the goodness 
of Providence." 

" She must be somewhere," said Mrs. Stillman, sen. ; " because 
these fellows did not find her, is no proof that she has not been 
lost ; and even if Harmer does not discover her among the Indi- 
ans, who were here that day, it will be no evidence to me, that 



368 



Female Life among the Mobmons. 



she has not been kidnapped by some of them ;" and after deliv- 
ering these quaint and incontrovertible opinions, the good lady- 
felt as if she had discharged an important duty. 

Mr. Stillman had formed a company of twenty men, with whom 
he intended to explore the gorges and ravines around the foot of 
the great Salt Lake, as he fancied that, becoming bewildered, 
she might have wandered off in that direction. The prepara- 
tions were all made, and the party assembled, when a messenger 

arrived from B m, forbidding them to depart, and ordering 

each man to go to his work. Mrs. Bradish was in the midst, 
encouraging the enterprise, and urging them not to abandon the 
prosecution of the search until they had found her ; consequently, 
this sudden and summary arrest of a proceeding, that she con- 
sidered just and necessary, filled her with the deepest indigna- 
tion ; and, notwithstanding her deference for the Head of the 
Church, she was not slow to manifest her displeasure. The men 
were equally dissatisfied, but they stood around in sullen silence, 
while she advanced boldly up to the messenger, and demanded 
the reasons for so extraordinary a proceeding. 

" He gave no reason, madam," said the messenger, " only 
that you were on a fool's errand ; that he would guarantee any 
pledge, that Emily was perfectly safe ; and that the men should 
go to work, instead of wandering about the woods." 

" But how does he know that she is safe ?" 

" He has had a revelation." 

Mrs. Bradish shook her head, and looked as if she doubted 
it. . 

" What do you say ?" inquired one of the men, turning to Mr. 
Stillman, " are we going or not ?" 

"I should go," said Mrs. Bradish decidedly; "no one can 

entertain a greater respect for B m than I do ; that is, in his 

legitimate sphere, as our spiritual leader ; but when it comes to 
interference with personal privileges, when he wishes to restrict 



The Prophet's Mandate. 



369 



ns in the exercise of individual liberty, I hold that resistance is a 
necessary virtue." 

Mr. Stillman said, that though he entertained the highest 
regard and deepest reverence for the lady who had just spoken, 
he was compelled to dissent from her opinion. That their spir- 
itual leader was likewise their temporal governor, and that to 
disobey him in one respect, would show their want of confidence 
in his judgment and good sense. 

" I give it up," said Mrs. Bradish, " who can tell ? probably 
he knows more of Emily than we have imagined. It seems mar- 
vellous to me that he is so utterly indifferent to her fate." 

" It may be best to wait till Harmer returns," suggested Mr. 
Ward, " he may bring some information of her, though I hardly 
expect it." 

" But he may be gone two or three days yet," said a bystander, 
" and the exposure and hunger of two or three days more, may 
cost Emily her life, if she be not already dead." 

*• I move that we go, whether he wants us to or not," said 
another. 

" So do I ," ejaculated a third, " it is none of his business, no 
how." 

" I don't know how it can be, we were not working for him." 

" Go, go, by all means," said Mrs. Bradish, and she made a 

motion towards the windows of B m that looked to me like 

snapping her fingers. Could it be in defiance ? but no one will 
dispute that her resolution and independence of spirit were 
remarkable. " If you hesitate," she continued, " I will collect a 
party of women and go myself." 

" A party of women, indeed, you'd all get lost," said one of the 

men ; B m, who could see from his windows the hesitancy 

of the company, came slowly forth, and approaching the group, 
accosted them in consolatory terms ; something like the fol- 
lowing : 

16* 



3 TO Female Life among the Mormons. 



" I can give you an earnest and hearty assurance, that our 
young sister is comfortably provided for, and what is more, that 
she has withdrawn from us voluntarily, and for reasons perfectly 
satisfactory to me, as they should be to you." 

" But where is she ?» " What be they ?" " How do you 
know ?" was anxiously inquired. 

" Where she is, and what were her reasons for going away, are 
secrets which I am not permitted to reveal, and I know by the 
spirit that is in me, to read secret and hidden things." 

" If that is the only way you know," said one, though in a 
low tone, " I wouldn't give much for the knowledge." 

B m had recently lost much of the prestige of his power 

and influence ■ his revelations had become too common and 
absurd to attract much notice, or win any confidence. Then, too, 
his character for lying, sensuality, and hypocrisy had disgusted 
many of the best men in the church ; many wished to have him 
deposed, and some even went so far as to talk of it, but no 
measures had been taken to effect the purpose. True, he like- 
wise had many friends, generally speaking, those who derived 
honor or profit from his elevation, or those who were connected 
by marriage with him. 

It must be conceded, however, that much of the machinations 
against him was fomented by the animosity and envy of Lawrence. 
This man, whose character seemed a compound of mean duplicity 
and selfish cunning, took every occasion to enlarge on the faults 
and infirmities of his successful rival, descanted on his weaknesses, 
and actually turned his sermons, as well as his style of preaching 

into ridicule. When B m appeared in public, he usually 

managed to be somewhere not far off, and he always made it a 
point to criticise most unmercifully the language and sentiments 
of his opponent. On the present occasion, he was standing in 
the midst, and this time with Irene leaning on his arm ; they had, 
it seemed, been out walking together, and seeing the gathering, 



The Prophet Suspected. 



3U 



bad approached to ascertain what was going on. They obtained 
the information that they desired from a bystander, when Law- 
rence began his remarks. 

" And he forbids your going to look her up ?" 

" I believe so ; he says that she is in safety." 

" If he knows that, he must know where she is." 

" He does, probably," suggested Irene, " I presume that he has 
her secreted somewhere in his house." 

"Think so?" 

" To be sure, I think so ; if such is not the case, why is he 
so indifferent and unconcerned ?" 

" I will volunteer to lead a party to search the house, and see 
who is concealed in it," exclaimed Lawrence. 

" No, no," cried several voices. 

They had lost all confidence in B — — m, it is true, but 
Lawrence was almost equally unpopular. 

" I have not the least doubt," said Irene, " that this woman, 
whose absence has struck you all as something remarkable, is 
now confined in that hypocrite's dwelling, and I have good rea- 
sons for what I say." 

" What be they ?" " What be they ?" demanded the listeners. 

" I have not time to relate them, but if you wish to find Emily, 
follow my husband, and search that house. 4 ' 

DuriDg this scene, B m stood like one amazed ; his counte- 
nance changing from surprise to apprehension, from apprehension 
to anger. Two or three seemed inclined to second her proposal 
to search his house, though the most influential were evidently 
opposed to the perpetration of such a deed of violence. He was 
a skillful physiognomist, and the expression of the surrounding 
faces was not lost on him. He determined, therefore, to treat 
the accusations of Irene as the ravings of a maniac, and address- 
ing one of his friends and confidential advisers, requested him to 
look after that woman, thus become suddenly insane. This 



372 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



request, made in a voice sufficiently loud to attract the attention 
of all assembled, caused them all to look round, and several 
women screamed at the bare supposition of being contiguous to 
a mad-woman. 

" Who is it ?" inquired Irene, " who is it he means ?" 

" Yourself," said Hyde, the designated friend, " come along 
with me." 

" With you, I am not crazy." 

" Certainly you talk like a crazy person, you must be taken 
care of," he replied. 

Irene, who possessed little courage or resolution, was over- 
whelmed with astonishment and consternation ; all she had ever 
heard or imagined of narrow cells, straight- waistcoats, chains 
and mad-house-scourges, flashed across her memory, as she clung 
shrieking to Lawrence, and entreated him to save her. 

" No woman in her right mind, would ever give way to such 
unlikely and unaccountable suspicion. I received intimation 
that she was mad some time ago, though I have never before 

to-day seen any exemplification of it," said B m, with a 

demeanor as cool and as calm as if nothing had happened. 

" Take me home," said Irene, clinging to Lawrence. t( Take 
me home ; do, do." 

" Take her home," said B m authoritatively, " and keep her 

there. Home is the place for her; and that is not all, remember 
that I will not overlook or forget her insults, and if she puts 
herself in my way again, and stigmatizes me with such language 
another time, she will be taken care of in a manner that she 
won't fancy." 

Irene hurried away trembling. 

Mrs. Bradish, deeply as she was concerned for Emily, could 
not refrain from laughing heartily at the singular incident. 

" What do you think of Irene's suspicion ?" I said to her that 
evening, when we were in conversation about Emily 



Mrs. Bradish utters Treason 



313 



" What do I think ?" she answered. 

"Yes ; don't it seem to you, as if there might be a possibility 
that her conjecture is correct ?" 
She nodded affirmatively. 

" It seems so to me, and everything tends to confirm the sus- 
picion," I said. 

" I shouldn't wonder at all, if Emily was confined in his 
house." 

"Nor I either." 

" I never thought of it, till a short time since," said Mrs. 
Bradish, " but his coolness and indifference do look like it." 

" And his objections to having her sought, with all his 
assurances that she is safe and well off." 

" I have a great mind to undertake the matter myself," said 
the lady. "If he has got Emily stowed away in some place of 
concealment, I'd soon bring her to light." 

" How so ?" 

" He has got many wives, and these wives must some of them 
know about her. By intriguing with them the whole mystery 
could be unravelled." 

" Probably." 

" No doubt at all of it," she replied. " To-morrow I mean 
to commence operations'." 

I could not help regarding her with surprise. She had always 
been an advocate of polygamy, and never expressed the least 
sympathy or regard for its victims. Perhaps she read my coun- 
tenance, or herself felt the contradictory nature of her conduct. 

" Emily," she said, coming close to me, " has always been my 
loved and valued friend, and Anna Bradish prides herself on 
never forgetting to do good to those who have done good to 
her." 

" That's the rule you go by, is it ?" 

" The rule I go by, is always to treat people precisely as they 



314 Female Life among the Mormons. 

treat me. If they use me well, I will, if possible, use them 
better, but if they injure or insult me, I shall not promise what 
kind of treatment they'll receive in return." 

" Then you don't go by the golden rule ?" 

" The silver rule is good enough for me," she answered, 
laughing. 

" And what is that ?" 

" Why, haven't I just told you ? to treat people as they treat 
you." 

" Has B m ill-treated you ?" I inquired. 

" His treatment has not been very kind." 

" But I thought that you were the best of friends." 

" So we were for a time, but not now." 

" That is strange, anyhow." 

" You know, Mrs. Ward," she observed, after a moment's 
though tf ulness, " that Mormonism is continually changing its 
phases. Under the rule of Smith we had dreams, prophecies, 
and miracles. Spiritual wives were likewise in vogue. Since 
then, the characteristics of our faith have been polygamy and 
revelations. Now, it long ago occurred to me, that the absolute 
temporal and spiritual authority, which the leader and Head of 
our church exercised, might be wisely shared by a female of age 
and experience, whose moderation and judgment could scarcely 
fail of having a happy effect on the masculine counsels of her 
colleague ; Smith was favorable to such a scheme. He even 
proposed it to me as an inducement, when I hesitated about 
uniting with his charch. < Because/ he said, in plain words, 
' that the sister who made the greatest sacrifice, embarked the 
most property, and manifested the most zealous attachment to 
the faith, would of course be promoted to that situation.' I am 
naturally ambitious of distinction, and consequently I lent a will- 
ing ear to his flattering overtures, forsook my friends, abandoned 
my principles, and in more than one instance, connived to con- 



Ambition Thwarted. 



315 



ceal his practices of vice, in order to share his authority at some 
future time. His death precluded the possibility of that, and 
though circumstances deprived me of the privilege of assisting 
in the choice of his successor, I had little doubt that my claims 
would be recognized, and the avowed purpose of the sainted 
dead respected in a proper manner. 

" You know, moreover, that B m acknowledged himself 

under obligations to me, and offered me his hand in consequence." 

" Which you should have accepted, if you wished to share his 
authority." 

" There you are mistaken again ; a wife according to the code 
of Mormon, can have no authority, her very existence being lost 
or merged in that of the husband. I didn't choose to resign my 
identity to so distinguished a man as our Prophet, but I did 
choose a few days since to inform him of my expectations, and 
the elders and leaders of the church were favorable to my plan." 

" And what did he say ?" 

" Commenced a long tirade about the unfitness of women for 
authority, and advised me to fulfill the design of my creation, by 
taking a husband and bearing children. Could anything be 
more insulting ?" 

" To some women it would have been good advice." 

" But I am not like other women. He knows that, so do you, 
and everybody. He couldn't have frightened me, as he did 
Irene yesterday, the silly fool," and she laughed at the remem- 
brance of Irene's fright. " After all, he's a cunning old fox," 
she resumed, " but it's a long lane that has no turn." 



3?6 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



CHAPTER XLI. 



DIFFERENCES. 



S Harnier's absence lasted much longer than had beeia 



expected, many of us began to be concerned about him. 



B m, however, took the matter very coolly, barely remark- 
ing that those who depended solely on their own sagacity and 
foresight, could scarcely expect the blessing of God. The fact 
was, neither Harmer nor his companions had consulted the Pro- 
phet, or asked his advice, and that, in his view, was a crime. 
As day after day glided by, and they came not, it was proposed 
to send an expedition after them. This reached the ears of the 
master, and he forbade it, to the no small chagrin of the men. 

"They went forth without us, and rejoicing in their own 
strength," was his characteristic answer ; "let them return in 
the same manner." 

Mrs. Bradish meanwhile strove to ingratiate herself with the 
wives of B m. This was quite an undertaking ; the num- 
ber having increased from three to twenty, of different ages and 
conditions, and it certainly required all her tact to manage the 
affair with sufficient delicacy, chiefly because she had no means 
of ascertaining which wife was the favorite and confidant. 

" All my hopes are centered on filling an important situation 
in the church," she said to me one day. "It is for that I live 

and act. B m has slighted and insulted me, but he may 

feel my power when he least expects it. He is losing friends. I 
desire to gain them. I have effected that purpose in some 




A Gigantic Scheme. 



degree already. If I succeed in finding and releasing Emily, 
Harmer will owe me a weight of gratitude — don't you think 
so ¥> 

"I do, certainly ; but there is a mystery attached to Har- 
mer's continued absence. After she is found, he will have to be 
looked up." 

"Many of the elders are favorable to my scheme," resumed 
Mrs. Bradish. " They say that a woman should by all means 
be associated in the government. Lawrence is highly pleased 
with tl^e idea." 

" But he would wish to confer the dignity on Irene." 

" No ; Irene is now his wife, and consequently could not be 
associated with him in that capacity. 

" Does she know that ?" 

" I don't suppose that she has ever thought of it," said Mrs. 
Bradish ; " but I have. You know," she continued, " or whe- 
ther you know it or not, it is no less a fact, that the Mormon 
leaders design to build here in this place a fortified city, that 
shall be the centre of a kingdom, over which the elders of the 
church will rule with absolute authority. The chief magistrate 
being sovereign pontiff, and the functions of king and priest 
both exercised by one person, or, according to my calculations, 
by two, a male and female, associated in the regal dignity." 

"But have you any hopes of succeeding in such a wild 
scheme ?" 

" We have a positive certainty of success ; that is, if all could 
be brought to coalesce and unite as one man." 

"That wiU be the difficulty. Half the men in Utah will 
aspire to the situation of leader, while very few will be willing 
to serve, much less obey, consequently your strength will all be 
frittered away in factions. Every aspirant will be at the head 
of a party, and these parties will war against each other in 
deadly feud. It is folly £~r founders of Mormonism to 



378 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



dream of, or aspire to any separation from the government of 
the United States. The thing is morally impossible. That 
government, you well know, claims all this territory as public 
land, and exercises supervision over the Indian tribes." 

" The right of which supervision the Indian tribes have never 
acknowledged," she said, interrupting me. 

" It makes little difference whether they acknowledge it or 
not, since they have not the means for successful resistance," I 
answered. 

"These means will be furnished them," she said. " Again I 
repeat, that all we require to ensure success, is union among 
ourselves." 

"The very thing the most difficult to be obtained," I 
answered. 

" And then the Government at Washington has recognized 
Utah as a territory of the Union, under the protection and ame- 
nable to the rules and regulations of the other territories." 

" Which shows how little they know of us, and our inten- 
tions." 

" Or knowing, how little they regard them." 
An expression almost of anger flitted over her countenance, 
and she said : 

" We ^re too many to be despised." 

" Certainly ; and yet compared to the Union, the strength of 
Utah is nothing at all. At the most you could only cause diffi- 
culty and dissension. You might cut off straggling parties of 
emigrants, and, probably, harass and distress the frontiers, yet 
what more could you do ?" 

" That depends on circumstances." 

" Not altogether either. Under any circumstances strength 
must be superior to weakness." 

V You are not sufficiently acquainted with our circumstances 
to form a correct estimate , of our available strength," she 



MORMONISM ANTAGONISTIC TO REPUBLICANISM. 3? 9 



replied ; *' but it is not possible for us to agree, and so this sub- 
ject might as well be dropped." 

Mrs. Bradish soon after left me, to join, by special invitation, 
a meeting of the elders and leaders of the church. 

I had long suspected the Mormon leaders of disloyalty to the 
Federal Government. I well knew that the whole creed and 
code of their religion was opposed to republicanism in temper 
and spirit ; that their favorite hobby was a theocracy, and their 
most admired characters those of king and priest. How far 
this might lead them into overt acts of hostility against the 
government, remained to be seen. 

Mr. Ward had attended the meeting. He was in unusual 
good humor, and, contrary to my common custom, I inquired 
what business had been transacted. 

He smiled, and answered that I would soon see the result of 
it, as they had decided to build a factory in which to make pow- 
der, and another for the manufacture of fire-arms. 

" And who is to be the proprietor of these manufactories ?" 

" The Church." 

" And the artisans V 

" Are expected next month. Our faith is doing wonders 
everywhere," he continued ; " and I find, by recent accounts, 
that only a few of the believers emigrate. We shall soon have 
Mormon churches in all the principal cities. This I consider as 
very desirable." 

" Why so ?" 

" Women are not to be trusted with secrets," he answered, 
laughing. 

Not deeming it wise to question him further, the conversation 
ceased. 

Mr. Ward was generally reserved. Perhaps he considered it 
necessary to be so. He well knew that my regard for him was 
the only tie that bound me to Mormonism, consequently I could 



380 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



hardly be trusted with the private affairs of the church. Yet, 
he could not prevent me from seeing and understanding that 
much was being actually transacted which no civilized commu- 
nity could approve. 

The Mormons had wandered off to Utah, for the avowed pur- 
pose of being beyond the surveillance and influence of the 
laws which governed the established States. Neither did they 
wish for any intercourse with the heathen, or those who could 
see no virtue in polygamy, no beauty in the enslavement of 
women, and no political consistency in a government admin- 
istered by one person, in the capacity of king and priest. 
Consequently, their chagrin can be better imagined than 
described, when the overland route to California was made 
through their territory, and trains of emigrants and travellers 
frequently arrived, and stayed for days with them. 

Of course they regarded these travellers in the light of intru- 
ders, and, really having something they wished to conceal, it is 
not strange that every inquiry, and the least manifestation of 
curiosity, were considered as the result of espionage. Yet, 
being well aware that any manifestations of hostility, at that 
time, would be premature, and might probably lead to the defeat 
of their purposes, they treated these visitors with a cool, yet 
dignified hospitality ; though it is certain that measures were 
concerted to prevent their coming, and turn the tide of emigra- 
tion into another channel. One thing which particularly dis- 
pleased them, was the establishment of military posts by the 
United States, and the occasional vicinity of the troops and 
officers belonging to the National Army. Mr. Ward and Mrs. 
Bradish were both equally opposed to it, and both declared that 
it must be stopped, though, even then, I was such a novice in 
Mormonism, that the means to be adopted never crossed my 
mind. 

Among the Mormons at this time, were many worthy and 



Mormon Hunters kill strange Game. 381 

estimable men and women, who had been seduced to embrace its 
doctrines by their specious appearances, without fully under- 
standing to what they led, or their actual foundation. These 
were quiet and well-disposed citizens, who took no part in the 
business of the church, and knew nothing of the designs of its 
leaders. But not a few were characters of a different cast. 
Some were real desperadoes, and ready tools to execute any 
design, however vicious. These were men of no property, and 
generally without families ; old bachelors, whose youth had 
been spent in the midst of associations and connections that pre- 
cluded marriage ; or runaways and outlaws, who had embraced 
Mormonism for the sake of living in human society. Bands of 
these men, numbering from ten to twenty-five, were accustomed 
to go out, ostensibly for the purpose of hunting, though it was 
rare, indeed, that they brought in game. For a long time, my 
suspicions were unawakened, but, when aroused, I determined 
to take particular notice. 

" These men are not very successful in hunting," I said one day 
to Mrs. Bradish, as the party, returning from an expedition, 
* passed the window. 

" Are not ?" she said, with a knowing smile. 

" I don't see any game." 

" The game is probably left behind." 

" I don't understand you." 

" Don't you ? — well, no matter, probably it's quite as well 
that you shouldn't," and she turned away. 

" It seems to me that these men are assassins and robbers ; 
that their trade is blood ; that they, in fact, are the reputed 
Indians, of whom the emigrants have complained so much." 

Mrs. Bradish made no reply, but slowly promenaded the floor. 

" The suspicion seems too horrible to be entertained for a 
moment, and yet I find myself unable to divest my mind of it," 
I continued, looking steadfastly in her face. 



382 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



She came close to me — so close that her breath touched my 
cheek. " Did you kill a spider yesterday ?" she inquired. 
V To be sure I did," I answered, in a tone of surprise. 
" And why did you do it ?" 
" Because the insect came in my way." 

" You never go out in the fields and woods to hunt spiders 
and destroy them. You never meddle with them unless they 
intrude on your premises." 

" I never do." 

" And if they do, you consider it justifiable to remove them ?" 
"I do." _ 

" Well, that is exactly the case with us. We have come off 
here purposely to be by ourselves, but these people follow us up, 
intrude their presence on us, and seek to ascertain, for the pur- 
pose of betraying, our plans. Now, I hold that it is perfectly 
right for us to free ourselves, if we can ; to connive at their 
removal ; to cause them, in fact, to disappear ; to treat them 
exactly as you treat snakes, spiders, and venomous reptiles." 

" But reptiles and men are different." 

" Both reptiles and men were created by the same hand ; it is 
the will of God that both should live ; then by destroying the 
life of an insect, you infringe the design of the Creator quite as 
much as you do by destroying the life of a man." 

I was silenced, but not convinced. 

Now that my eyes were fairly opened, many things transpired 
daily to convince me that much more was going on in Mormon- 
dom than a casual observer would perceive or appreciate. The 
factories for the manufacture of gunpowder and fire-arms were 
in process of building, though three-fourths of the people in 
Utah were utterly ignorant of their purpose or design. The 
emigrants never dreamed of their projected use. 

One day a company of emigrants arrived, almost immediately 
after the return of a party of the pretended hunters. They 



Strange Peculiarities of Utah Indians. 388 



had been attacked and severely handled, several of their ani- 
mals being killed, and the men wounded. They bivouacked 
near our house, and, as Mr. Ward had informed me that they 
came from that part of New York State where I had formerly 
resided, I determined to visit them in the evening. These emi- 
grants, it should be remembered, were not Mormons, but travel- 
lers on their way to Oregon or California. I found a lady, very 
social and communicative, who gave me many interesting par- 
ticulars concerning my friends, and, at my desire, related the 
events connected with the attack on her party. What she 
regarded as especially remarkable, was the fact, that the 
Indians talked English. "They do not generally understand 
our language, do they ?" she inquired, with such an innocent, 
unsuspecting manner, that I mentally felt degraded by an asso- 
ciation with such monsters as I believed our people to be, but, 
controlling my feelings, I answered, " Not generally." 

" So I thought," she replied, " Indians, too, have voices unlike 
white men, whereas these fellows conversed with just such tones 
and articulations as are common to our race. Wasn't it strange ?" 

tl They had probably learned English at the military posts," 
suggested Mr. Ward. 

" Or were white men in disguise," replied the lady's husband. 

I observed that Mr. Ward regarded him with a scrutinizing 
look, and probably satisfied with the observation, he said : 

"That must be very unlikely ; but the Indians are becoming 
so hostile, that I wonder the emigrants persist in following this 
route." 

" Because they can find no other, where the mountains and 
rivers are passable,' 7 answered the gentleman ; " other routes 
have been attempted time and again, but always without 
success." 

" Yet there must be another way ; the difficulty is in finding 
it." 



384 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



The gentleman smiled sadly, "Most people," he said, "prefer 
a known ronte, and to encounter known dangers, rather than 
unknown. 7 ' 

" What amiable people," I said to Mr. Ward, " but it really 
seems strange that the Indians have become so hostile of late." 

" The Indians, yes, yes, rather strange ; but the emigrants 
must choose a new route, and the American military officers, too. 
We cannot have a system of espionage in our midst." 

" Have any American officers been here ?" 

"Not exactly here, but near enough. The Indians waylaid 
and destroyed them, too." 

" How does it happen that they never attack the Mormons P 

" The brethren are under the protection of heaven." 

That answer settled the question, of course. 



CHAPTER XLII. 

THE NEW WIFE. 

|~F a place was designed to take precedence from the variety 
X of occupations carried on within its boundaries, Utah would 
certainly have risen high in the scale. Every dissimilar view 
and opinion was being industriously propagated. Schemes for 
individual and church aggrandizement were being hatched and 
fomented. Projects for a coalition with the Indians, in opposi- 
tion to the measures of the Federal Government, formed a 
favorite hobby. But while such pursuits occupied the time and 
attention of the zealous aspirants for church authority, another 
class were employed with equal zeal in marrying and giving in 
marriage ; not the least remarkable part of this affair, being, 



A Discontented Mind. 



385 



that the bridegrooms were mostly middle-aged men, many of 
whom were already blessed with several wives, and a multitude 
of children * if an institution could be called a blessing which 
made a home much more resemble a hospital or asylum, than a 
quiet scene of domestic peace. 

Mr. Slocomb had been a thrifty inhabitant of the Empire 
State, the owner of a fine farm, stocked with fine cattle, and 
plenty of them,' the husband of a thrifty, prudent, industrious 
house-wife, and the father of a fine lot of boys, of several ages, 
from two to twelve. Mr. Slocomb had been possessed with a 
mania for emigration several years. Like most people well to 
do in the world, he was dissatisfied, not with what he had, but 
because there were some things which he had not. He dreamed 
of a large estate, with five hundred or a thousand acres, which 
might be equally divided between his boys, when he was done 
with it, his usual manner of expression, giving to each one an 
estate larger than the one he occupied. 

Mrs. Slocomb opposed the measure for a long time. She was 
attached to her home and friends. She prized the school-house 
and the church, and thought that they might enjoy happiness 
without going so far to find it. But, though distinguished for 
virtue and integrity, and immovable on all subjects connected 
with moral principle, she possessed one weak point, — that of 
easy credulity in religious matters. Had a Chinaman or Mus- 
sulman come to her neighborhood, preaching his religious tenets, 
ten chances to one, he would have fouud in her a devout listener, 
and ultimately a believer, so far as their tenets did not interfere 
with her preconceived ideas of moral right. She had been a 
firm adherent to the doctrines of the Second Adventists, but the 
failure of their prophesies rather shook her faith, when the Mor- 
mons came. These attracted her greatly • she invited them to 
her house, and listened with wonder and credulity to their glow- 
ing accounts of the Promised Land. Mr. Slocomb proposed 

11 



386 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



immediate emigration ; the Mormons united their entreaties to 
his, and she yielded to the promptings of an enthusiastic fanati- 
cism. But even in Utah, and notwithstanding the fervor of her 
faith, she retained many of her old Eastern manners, and pre- 
served the full integrity of her moral principles. She was, 
moreover, one of those who fear contamination by association 
with those she did not like, or whom she regarded as vicious. 
Of polygamy she had never heard, until her arrival at the Land 
of the Saints, when her surprise and horror were inconceivable. 
They went directly to the house of a brother, whose fervid faith 
and zeal had won for him honorable mention in the East. He 
received them graciously, bade them welcome to the hospitalities 
of his house, and introduced Mrs. Bee, a stately and dignified 
matron, with a large fat child in her arms. They exchanged 
salutations, when the good brother directed her attention to a 
much younger lady, who also had a child, and whom he likewise 
styled Mrs. Bee. Presently a third came in, looking still 
younger, but apparently in an interesting situation, and Mrs. 
Bee was presented again. Mrs. Slocomb began to conclude, by 
this time, that the good brother was demented, or herself in a 
dream, it might be difficult to decide which. 

One by one, other ladies to the number of fifteen made their 
appearance, who were severally introduced to the astonished 
guest as Mrs. Bee. Too polite to make any inquiries, she sat 
iu a maze of doubt and perplexity. It was impossible that all 
these females could be the sisters or daughters of their host, and 
that she had mistaken the title Miss for Mrs. It was equally 
impossible that he could have so many brothers whose wives 
were domiciled in his house. As the dinner-hour approached, 
and the multitude of children came thronging in, her curiosity 
grew intensely painful. She observed that most of the children 
were evidently neglected, with faces and hands that seemed 
never to have known the vicinity of water, and hair that hung 



A Mormon Dinner-Table. 



33? 



in matted elf-locks around their ears. Many of the boys, eight 
or nine years old, still wore frocks, while the girls seemed to 
have dressed in anything that came to hand. Though address- 
ing the different women as mother, she noticed that they all 
called Mr. Bee "father f that, however, might be by courtesy. 
There seemed little cordiality or sociality among the women, 
and it struck her that the whole party were laboring under 
unnatural restraint. 

At length she found a solution of the difficulty, according to 
her mind. These were doubtless orphan children, whom Mr. 
Bee, in his benevolence, had undertaken to keep till they would 
be supplied with suitable places. Of course their mothers were 
poor widows, and the names — she might be mistaken in them. 
She forebore remark until after dinner, when the gentlemen 
walked out, and though all the various faculties of wonder, 
astonishment, surprise, and indignation, had been respectively 
called into exercise at the glaring want of anything like order 
or method at a gentleman's table, she supposed that in a new 
country, on the very outskirts of civilization, it might be custo- 
mary to dispense with all formality and ceremony. It seemed 
to her that an infinite amount of useless labor had been expen- 
ded in producing dinner, because every one thus employed 
refused to harmonize her actions with those of the others. One, 
who had been busily engaged setting the table, left the apart- 
ment for a moment, when another approached, removed the 
dishes and the cloth, restored them to their place in the cup- 
board, and proceeded to array the board in another cloth, and 
much inferior dishes. The first one returned to find all her 
arrangements superseded, while her anger was met by a scornful 
laugh. The same contrariness prevailed in the culinary depart- 
ment. Instead of assisting, each one seemed disposed to hinder 
and embarrass the others. A dish almost prepared by one, 
would be hastily thrust aside, and its place supplied by some- 



388 Female Life among the Mormons. 

thing another one was fonder of. Mrs. Sloconib was half dis- 
posed to disbelieve the testimony of her ears, but sounds 
marvellously like those of blows and kicks came not unfre- 
quently from the adjoining apartment, and one of the women 
passed hastily around the house, her eyes red with weeping. 

When dinner was announced, one of the younger ones rushed 
hastily forward, nearly overturning the matron with the fat 
child, and established herself at the place of honor — the head of 
the table — while two others, the least prepossessing of the whole 
number, came bounding along, and took places right and left of 
Mr. Bee. He paid little attention to them, but evidently 
wished to withdraw the notice of his guests from their ill-man- 
nerly and ungracious conduct. Then commenced a great scram- 
ble with the children. Crowding beside their mothers, the 
ragged urchins demanded bread and butter, potatoes, cake, or 
milk. If one obtained more than another, blows followed, 
attended with kicks, and screams of no common power. At 
length the confusion and uproar increased, until the host could 
neither hear his own voice, nor those of the guests, when he 
arose, pale with anger, took a large ox-goad from its place of 
concealment, and laying it about among them zealously, he soon 
succeeded in clearing the apartment. 

" Haven't I told you over and over again not to feed the 
young 'uns by handfuls while we were eating ?" he said, glancing 
at the women. 

No one answered, and Mr. Bee beir% too well-bred to mani- 
fest further displeasure, the cloud passed over. 

As there seemed little opportunity for conversation in the 
house, where so many children were partaking their meal, Mrs. 
Slocomb proposed taking a walk to the matronly lady, whose 
superior gentility seemed to indicate that she was, or ought to 
be, at the head of the establishment. 

" I should be happy to, indeed," she replied gracefully, " and 



The Solution of the Riddle. 



389 



will when my children are done eating ; if I should leave them 
now, they would get no more food. It is the practice here for 
every one to supply her own children at the expense of the 
others." 

" Will you tote that great young 'uu ?" said one in an insult- 
ing tone. 

" It's likely," replied Mrs. Bee. 

" I guess you will have to,' 7 replied the other, " for none of us 
will keep him." 

More and more surprised, Mrs. Slocomb ventured to remark 
to the first speaker, that she didn't seem very accommodating. 

*■ There's no accommodation here," she answered ; " every one 
has to look out for herself." 

"Are you boarders, then ?" inquired Mrs. Slocomb; "oris 
Mr. Bee a relative ?" 

It was now the turn of the women to be surprised. 

" Boarders ! — a relative !" they repeated, looking at each other. 

Mrs. Bee came forward, with an expression of painful perplex- 
ity resting on her countenance. 

" Our friend, Mrs. Slocomb, is unacquainted with the cus- 
toms of Utah," she said. " These ladies are all the wives of my 
husband, Mr. Bee. The faith of Mormon sanctions polygamy, 
the same as the ancient faith of Moses." 

Mrs. Slocomb stood like one transfixed with horror and 
astonishment. Could it be possible that she had come to such 
a place as that, that the religion which she had embraced sanc- 
tioned such practices ; that she had been sitting and eating with 
such degraded women ? Their presence seemed a contamination, 
as she regarded them with a look of pity and contempt. 

" You needn't look so haughtily, madam," said one of them 
saucily. "You'll have plenty of such companions by-and-by. 
I'll warrant your husband will not confine himself to on« 
woman, no more than the other men." 



390 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



Mrs. Slocomb deigned no reply, but hastily demanding her 
bonnet, bade Mrs. Bee farewell, and left the house in the most 
unceremonious manner. 

Mrs. Slocomb was devoutly attached to the institution of 
marriage, as it existed in the Eastern States, and the bigamist, 
in her estimation, was quite as reprehensible as those guilty of 
crimes which it were an offence to mention in polite society. In 
her view, the residence of Mr. Bee was no better than a house 
of ill-fame, and she felt degraded by having entered its doors. 
She came directly to me, in a state of excessive agitation, and 
when I questioned her on the subject, she told me of all she had 
seen and heard. 

" And such scenes, I regret to say, are common among us." 

" How have I been deceived !" she said. " I considered Mor- 
monism ail truth, and purity, and beauty. I never dreamed 
that anything so hideous and revolting could be concealed 
beneath an exterior of so much piety. But we must leave 
Utah ; I can never consent to stay where such practices are tol- 
erated." 

" But your husband," I suggested. 

" My husband," she replied, " will be quite as much disgusted 
with such practices as myself. I shouldn't wonder if he was 
even more, if such a thing were possible ; but here he comes." 

Mr. Slocomb approached the house, his usual gaiety changed 
to a sedate and thoughtful expression. 

" Why did you run away so unceremoniously from Brother 
Bee's ?" he inquired, in a half-amused, half-angry tone. 

" That, you know, quite as well as I can tell you. It seems 
to me a degradation, that I ever went there. Only to think of 
sitting and eating with such women !" 

" Why, they seemed very modest women, and some of them 
were decidedly beautiful," said Mr. Slocomb. " My friend tells 
me that he was never happier. It seems so patriarchal !" 



A House divided against Itself. 



391 



** Is it possible that you can find it in your heart to excuse 
such an abominable practice ?" 

" There's nothing abominable about it, that I can see/' said 
Mr. Slocomb, and his countenance fell. 

Mr. Ward soon came in, and the gentlemen commenced a dis- 
cussion on theology, which ended, as such discussions generally 
did, on polygamy. Mr. Slocomb, it was evident, regarded the 
institution with favor, rather than otherwise. 

" You see," I said, addressing her aside, " that your hus- 
band entertains very different opinions from v/hat you antici- 
pated." 

She nodded her head, and shed tears. 

" We never know of what men are capable, until they are 
tempted." 

She signified assent, as before. 

Notwithstanding the wishes of his wife, Mr. Slocomb refused 
to remove from Utah. He was well suited with the people and 
the place, he said, and wherefore should he remove, to gratify 
the whims and caprices of a woman ? Bee was his confidential 
friend and adviser ; and just two weeks from the day that they 
commenced housekeeping in Salt Lake City, Slocumb took home 
his second wife. Of course, Mrs. Slocomb regarded her in the 
light of an intruder, and as a depraved and abandoned charac- 
ter. These^ sentiments she had no wish to disguise, and in a few 
days, the two women were mortal enemies. Mrs. Slocomb uni- 
formly designated her rival as " Bets." The boys caught her 
spirit, and the new wife became the object of their unmitigated 
contempt, and many practical jokes, of which the maliciousness 
could be much easier detected than the wit. Mrs. Slocomb was 
blindly attached to her children, and since her husband's second 
marriage, her infatuation seemed to have increased. She attrib- 
uted their ill-behaviour to fondness for her, and chagrin at the 
ill-treatment which she had received : consequently, if not posi- 



392 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



lively gratified, she was not displeased with their exhibitions of 
contempt and dislike. 

According to the code of Mormon, the wife who corrects the 
child of another, is subjected to a severe penalty. Elizabeth 
knew this, and refrained from giving them even a gentle repri 
mand ; but, when utterly wearied, and provoked beyond all 
forbearance, she went to Mr. Slocomb with her complaints. For 
a time, he heard her patiently, and threatened the boys with 
" straightening up things, and settling the hash f though what 
was meant or understood by such threats, remained a mystery ; 
and, as the boys were great favorites with their father, nothing 
serious was apprehended by them, to judge by the little effect 
it had on their conduct. 

"Why don't you make the boys behave ?" said Mr. Slocumb, 
one day, to his wife. " Elizabeth is continually complaining of 
them. I'm really tired of hearing it. ,; 

" Tired of hearing it, are you 1" said Mrs. Slocomb, turning 
her large, black eyes on her husband's face, and winding her 
long, bright hair around her head, in the form of a coronet ; 
" tired of hearing it ; then silence her tongue !" 

" But, madam, it is hardly right, that the boys should be 
indulged in such pranks as they practise on her." 

" To what pranks do you allude ?" 

" Why, pulling away the chair, when she attempts to sit 
down ; hanging buckets of water over the doors, through which 
she must pass j calling her names ; pinning labels to her dress, 
when she goes to church ; and otherwise distressing her. I 
am astonished that you permit them to act in such a man- 
ner !" 

" And I am astonished, that you permit such a vile, aban- 
doned creature to harbor about your house." 

Mr. Slocumb looked surprised. "Do you call Elizabeth 
vile and abandoned ?" he inquired. 



Tee Non-Intercourse System. 



393 



" What else can she be ? — the despicable thing ! The very 
air seems contaminated by her presence — living with another 
woman's husband !" and the countenance of Mrs. Slocomb was 
quite as expressive as her tongue. 

" But another woman's husband is her husband, likewise." 

" That is false, Mr. Slocomb ; the thing is impossible. No 
marriage ceremony can sanctify a connexion which God has not 
authorized, and which nature forbids. I will not call you by 
the name you deserve, nor her by the epithet she justly merits ; 
but you well know, that in a civilized community, your crime 
would have met its reward in the penitentiary." 

" Go it, pumps !" said the oldest boy, snapping his fingers. 

At length, the discussions between Mr. and Mrs. Slocumb 
took the form of bitter altercations. On one of these occasions, 
he informed her that she was generally disliked ; that her con- 
duct had produced a disagreeable impression on the minds of 
the people, which he exceedingly regretted. 

" And of which I am very glad," she answered ; " I don't 
want any society or intercourse with such a set, and what is 
more, I won't have, neither." 

And she was good as her word, never associating with, or 
noticing any except these women who were the first, and in her 
view, the only wives of their husbands. 

But after all, Mrs. Slocomb was more to be pitied than blamed. 
A woman of her rigid principles could not look on polygamy 
with the least allowance, and she flattered herself that Bets 
might be worried out, and driven off. 

" I hardly think you will succeed in that, Mrs. Slocomb," I 
observed, when she informed me of her plan. 

" Not if we render her situation intolerable, like Sarah did 
that of Hagar ?" 

" You wouldn't treat her cruelly," I answered ; " your hus- 
band is, after all, the most to blame ; I have heard say that she 

IT* 



394 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



was mild and inoffensive in her disposition, and an orphan with 
no father's house to which she can go." 
" Let her find a place, then." 

Mrs. Slocomb was so blinded by passion and prejudice that 
all appeals to her better feelings were in vain, and yet, no 
woman could be more tender-hearted, gentle, and considerate, 
than she was on ordinary occasions. 

One beautiful afternoon, we were walking together near her 
dwelling, when a loud noise of blows, screams, and angry words 
attracted our attention. 

" Oh, that hussy," said Mrs. Slocomb, rushing to the house ; I 
followed, when a scene painfully ludicrous was presented. 
Elizabeth, standing in the middle of the floor, was holding the 
oldest boy by one hand grasped tightly in his hair, while with 
the other she was belaboring him most unmercifully with the hot 
pudding-stick, just removed from a pot of samp that hung boil- 
ing over the fire. 

" Oh, you miserable scamp," she cried, " I'll give it to you, 
that I will, your father told me to, you've tormented me long 
enough ; I'll give you a lesson, you " 

" Do you dare to strike my child ?" cried Mrs. Slocomb, 
springing to the rescue. 

"Yes, I dare," answered Elizabeth, turning about and facing 
her antagonist, with eyes gleaming like those of an irritated pan- 
ther ; the boy sprang to his mother shrieking. 

" Bruised, battered, and burned," said Mrs, Slocomb ; " wretch, 
you'll pay for this." 

"No, I shan't pay for it," said Elizabeth, "your husband, 
my husband, madam, told me to defend myself, and he would 
clear me from all blame." 

" Liar, hateful, abandoned creature," said Mrs. Slocomb, 
wiping away the tears of her child. 

" I am no more of a liar, no more hateful, or abandoned than 



The Tables Turned. 



395 



yourself ; I have been married, and Mr. Slocomb is my husband 
just as much as he is yours. What do you want to act the fool 
for ? and now, I'll tell you what it is, Mr. Slocomb has given me 
the liberty, and I can prove it ; and every time that yonr-great, 
odious, abominable boys disturb me in any manner, they'll get a 
good beating ; I will bear their sauce and impudence no longer, 
that I won't.' 7 

4 'Then, clear out." 

" That I won't ; — clear out, indeed, leave my home and my 
husband, just to please you, and your abominable brats ; no, I'll 
stay, and, before many years, dance over your grave, that I will." 

Mrs. Slocomb was not prepared for such an outburst of pas- 
sion, as Elizabeth was generally mild and unresisting. 

" You needn't think," she continued, u that because I have 
borne your insults so long, I am going to bear them for ever ; 
from this time forth, I'm going to take a new start, and my word 
for it, your boys will find the odds." 

Weary and disgusted with such a scene of household folly and 
disorder, I left them and went home. 

The next week, Mrs. Slocomb came to our house ; I was her 
confidant, and she never hesitated to inform me of all her troubles. 
She really appeared sad and depressed ; said her life was a bur- 
den, and her habitation a continual scene of discord. Elizabeth 
and the boys were fighting and quarrelling from morning till 
night ; Mr. Slocomb would not, in fact could not, preserve order, 
as he had given Elizabeth permission to take her own part, and 
the boys were absolutely ungovernable. 

" You can't effect any compromise ?" I suggested. 

" Compromise, no," said Mrs. Slocomb, " I must and will be 
mistress in my own family ; as to Elizabeth, however, we might 
possibly get along if it wasn't for the boys. She won't bear the 
least from them, and they won't take a word from her ; and so 
it goes. The other morning Bets was stooping over to cut up 



396 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



the meat which had been fried, and was swimming in hot fat in 
the spider which stood on the corner of the hearth ; William 
said something which she did not like, and taking the knife out 
of the boiling gravy, she struck him with it on the side of the 
face. He then grabbed her by the hair, and held on, while she 
nearly chopped his naked feet into mince-meat with her knife and 
fork ; and so it is every day." 

" I believe it impossible for happiness to exist in a family 
where there are several wives." 

" Oh, dear," said Mrs. Slocomb, " yonder comes one of the 
boys after me, I wonder what new tiling has happened ?" 

The child was crying, Mrs. Slocomb met him at the gate, 
listened a moment to his story, and without bidding me farewell, 
and even leaving her bonnet, started off in the greatest agitation 
towards her home. 

While I was wondering at her strange demeanor, a messenger 
came with information that Mrs. Slocomb wished to see me 
immediately. Surprise and curiosity led me to obey the sum- 
mons. 

She was sitting by the bea, weeping ; one of her boys laid on 
it, presented a picture of death ; while Elizabeth sat sullenly in 
a corner. 

" Oh, Mrs. Ward," she cried, on seeing me, " I am the most 
unhappy woman in the world ; look there," and she pointed to 
the child who lay in a state of stupor. 

" What is the matter with him ?" I inquired. 

" That hussy," and the voice of the poor mother was drowned 
in sobs. 

" I gave you fair warning," said Elizabeth. 
" You have not killed the child," I said, turning to Elizabeth. 
" I neither know, nor care ; they'll have to learn to let me 
alone." # 

It appeared that while Elizabeth was washing the floor, the 



The Quarrel. 



39t 



boys as usual began their capers, when she became angry and 
struck one of them over the head with the mop handle. There 
was a nail in the end of the stick, of which, however, she was 
ignorant, but the iron penetrated to the brain, and no hopes 
could.be entertained of his recovery. 

Mr. Slocomb had been sent for, and soon came. He gazed a 
moment at the dying child, and turning to Elizabeth inquired, 

" Is this your work ?" 

11 It is," she answered calmly. " You have told me not to 
come to you with complaints, but to take my own part ; I have 
only obeyed you, you see the result, yet I had no intention of 
killing the child." 

" You had, you know you had," almost shrieked Mrs. Slocomb. 
" You have threatened time and again to kill us all." 

" Not if you minded your own business, and let me alone," 
said Elizabeth, with the greatest sang froid. " I'll engage to 
hurt none of you in the first place, but you mustn't begin a 
batter." 

" You are all to blame," said Mr. Slocomb. 

" It is with you that the blame rests," retorted his wife, her 
words interrupted by sobs and tears. "We lived happily 
together, till you went and brought that thing here. She will 
kill us all I expect." 

" Why don't you send for some one, or do something ?" said 
Elizabeth, in a softened voice. 

"It is too late," I whispered. 

" Yes ; too late, too late," groaned the mother. " Willy, 
dear, look up ; don't you know mamma ? Oh ! my sweet lamb 
that you should die thus !" 

A faint smile played over the boy's features ; he tried to 
speak, but failed. A shiver passed over his limbs, a shadow 
darkened his countenance, and we stood in the presence of 
death. 



398 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" Did they hang Elizabeth V says the reader, " or send her to 
the penitentiary ? or what did they do with her ?" 

They did nothing at all. She was not even reprimanded by 
the church. The men, and all the women, except the first wives 
of their husbands, affected to believe the murder accidental, and 
said that the boy ought to have behaved himself, and many even 
hoped that it might prove a warning to the children, and cause 
them to treat all the wives of their father with deference and 
respect. 

" Did they continue to live together ?" 

Of course they did, and since the death of William, Elizabeth 
ruled the house. The boys were afraid of her, and Mrs. Slo- 
comb seemed overwhelmed by sorrow. She lost all her wonted 
energy, and upon two or three occasions, I detected in her look 
and manner decided symptoms of insanity. She talked continually 
of her murdered child, and would sit for hours weeping over his 
grave. Then she complained of the desertion of her husband, 
said that he no longer loved her, and that her daily prayer was 
to die, that she might go to her mother. . 

I conversed tenderly and feelingly with Mr. Slocomb on the 
situation of his wife; told him that she was on the verge of insa- 
nity, and entreated him to send Elizabeth away. 

He treated the subject with indifference, but said, " that he 
would think of it — that Elizabeth was a very good girl, and now 
that Mrs. Slocomb's health has failed, he didn't know what they 
should do without her." 

It was evident that Mr. Slocomb was willfully blind. He 
desired the society of Elizabeth, and rather than practise self- 
denial in that particular, would let misery and disunion reign in 
his family. A practice common with the husbands in Utah. 

Some days after, the whole village was thrown into great 
excitement. Mrs. Slocomb had committed suicide, after causing 
the death of her two youngest children. The three had been 



Grief of the Indian Wife. 



399 



found weltering in a pool of blood over the grave of William, 
the mother grasping in her cold hand a gory knife. Her gleam- 
ing eyes and incoherent words had been a subject of general 
remark. 

Mr. Slocomb continues to live with Elizabeth, and has added 
two more wives to his domestic establishment 



MONG Indian females apathetic indifference to the absence 



of their husbands is the prevailing fashion. The squaw 
must comfort herself with pride and dignity, which preclude the 
idea of shedding tears, or manifesting anxiety about any one, 
however near and dear. Ethleen retained many of her Indian 
customs with tenacity, and forbore remark, though all else were 
wondering at the continued stay of Harmer and his friends 
However, it was easy to perceive that her indifference was 
feigned, and that she really suffered all the tortures of agonizing 
suspense. 

" Ethleen has gone," said Mrs. Bradish, whose visiting pro- 
pensities gave her all the news. 
" Gone where ?" 

" Nobody knows. She requested Louisa to milk her cow, and 
taking her bow and arrow, started for the mountains nearly a 
week ago, since which time no one has seen or heard of her." 

" Shut up her cottage, I suppose ?" 

" Of course ; it looks lonely enough round there now." 

We concluded that Ethleen had. gone to look for her husband, 



CHAPTER XLIII. 



ethleen's adventure. 




400 Female Life among the Mormons. 



and as Moore was a general favorite, to say nothing of his con- 
nection with Harmer, and the moral certainty that information of 
one would make us acquainted with the fate of the other, all 
wished her success. 

Some of the young fellows protested, that had they known her 
purpose, they would have accompanied her. Many said that she 
would perish and never return ; others declared that her native 
Indian sagacity would preserve her. It was talked of in every 
circle, for a week, and decided according to the inclinations and 
dispositions of the party. Then some new incident, or adventure 
occurred, and Ethleen was, for the time being, forgotten. Mrs. 
Bradish came to me one day, in a great state of vexation and 
perplexity. " I am completely discouraged," she said. 

" Why so ?" 

" 1 find it impossible to obtain any information of Emily. 
Where on earth she has gone to, is a mystery of no common 
magnitude. I begin to fear that she is dead. I have sounded 
all the women in the harem of the Prophet, and they either 
don't know anything about her, or else they are adepts in con- 
cealment." 

" Probably the latter," I suggested. 

" It may be ; and yet I am inclined to think not." 

" Time will probably determine. If Harmer was here " 

" He is here," said a manly voice we had no difficulty in 
recognizing. Sure enough, there stood the tanned and weather- 
beaten voyager, with Ethleen looking over his shoulder. 

" Where have you been all this time ?" said Mrs. Bradish. 
" We thought something had befallen you." 

" And something did befall me." 

" Where are your companions ?" 

" Dead !" A faint cry from Ethleen told how much she was 
interested in the answer. 
" And Emily." 



Harmer relates his Adventures. 401 



" Has been spirited away to some place of concealment by 

B m." 

" Certainly ?» 

"Yes, certainly. I saw and conversed with the Indian who 
assisted in the business, but he would give no clue whatever by 
which we might be enabled to find her.' 7 

'•' Then you did find the Indians ?" 

" Not those which I started from home with the design of 
visiting," he answered. "However, it will be necessary for me 
to begin at the first, and relate all my story, to satisfy your 
curiosity." 

" That is just what we wish you to do." 

"Well, then, we met with no adventure worth naming, till 
on the second day of our journey, when we came suddenly 
on a trail, which Buckley said he knew to be that of white 
men." 

" How did he know that ?" inquired Mrs. Bradish. 

" Because the toes of the right foot were evidently turned out 
in walking, which Indians never do," he answered ; " but don't 
interrupt me again." % 

We did, however, for Harmer having sat down on the door- 
step, I missed Ethleen, and asked what had become of her. 

" Yonder she goes over the hills," said Mrs. Bradish, and 
sure enough she was just disappearing in the valley. 

" What does the girl mean ? that isn't the way to her home." 

" You'll never see her again," said Harmer. 

" Never see her again ; why not ?" 

"Indian nature," he replied. "The ties that bound her to 
the whites have been broken by the death of her husband. She 
is disgusted by the rules and regulations of Mormonism, and, if 
I mistake not, will henceforth associate with her race. But to 
my story. Following this trail, we found ourselves suddenly 
surrounded by a company of mounted Indians, armed with rifles* 



402 Female Life among the Mormons. 



Escape was impossible, and, seeing their purpose, we deter- 
mined to sell our lives dearly as possible. Bat Moore and 
Buckley fell, shot dead. I was overpowered by numbers, and 
severely wounded, when, what was my astonishment to dis- 
cover that my assailants were Mormons, instead of Indians. 
Xo wonder you look surprised. They were acting under orders 
from head-quarters, but one of the number, whom I had 
befriended, interceded for my life. They took me with them to 
a cave, where they changed their garments, painted their faces, 
and assumed their Indian disguise." 

" In order to attack the emigrants travelling through the ter- 
ritory, and prevent their visiting the holy city ?" 

" Just so." 

I glanced at Mrs. Bradish, but she remained perfectly silent, 
and Harmer continued. " Those men had received imperative 
orders to procure my death, though I am not at liberty to 
reveal whence the murderous mandate emanated. I heard the 
debate, the more blood-thirsty wishing to shoot me, the others 
to take me off into the mountains, where there could be little 
prospect of my ever discovering the settlements of white men. 
I joined my entreaties with theirs, and we prevailed. They car- 
ried me, blindfolded and on horseback, a four day's journey, into 
the wild, inhospitable wilderness, then compelled me to drink a 
sleeping potion, from the effects of which I awoke to find myself 
alone." 

" A dreadful situation." 

" Dreadful, indeed, but I was not discouraged. Even then 
and there, I thought more of Emily than myself, and deter- 
mined for her sake to live. My chief desire was to fall in with 
a roviug party of Indians, and my wishes were gratified on 
the third day after my abandonment. They were friendly and 
hospitable, and carried me with them to their village. Here I 
had an interview with their chief, who, upon learning whence I 



Harmer's Story Continued. 



403 



came, immediately began to talk of the schemes and plans of my 
father, as he styled B m. 

" I pretended to be well informed of them, and thus encour- 
aged the Indian to talk on." 

"Which was wrong," said Mrs. Bradish, the first she had 
spoken. 

" No, madam, it was not. This man had attempted my life, 
and I had the score to settle with him." 
" Well, what did you find out ?" 

"That emmissaries from B m were continually coming 

and going among the Indian tribes, whose business it was to 
excite them to hostility and rebellion against the Government, 
by representing that the said Government wished and intended 
to dispossess them of their lands. I ascertained, too, that some 
of the most powerful tribes had actually entered into a treaty 

with B- m, to furnish him so many warriors on an emergency, 

in return for a large quantity of powder and fire-arms." 

" And what, Mr. Hariner, does all this amount to ? You 
have known, from the first, that the Mormons intended to be 
free from the heathen, and to build up a city which should be 
the glory of the earth." 

" But I never did know that they intended to resort to mur- 
der and midnight assassination to carry out their schemes. I 
never did know, till then, that they designed to instigate the sav- 
age Indians to attack the harmless emigrants, and even join in the 
unfeeling butchery of women and children. No, Mrs. Bradish. 
I never dreamed that this was to be the consummation of their 
designs." 

" It is not the consummation of their designs," she answered, 
interrupting him, "but only a means for their accomplish- 
ment." 

He laughed, scornfully — "Vaulting ambition overshoots 
itself." 



404 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



"The Federal Government, Madam, will receive information 
of all the schemes hatching against its peace and prosperity." 

An expression of the deepest indignation and disappointment 
crossed her countenance. " How now, do yon mean to act the 
traitor, and betray us V } she inquired, rising and going towards 
him, "if so, your life is not worth a farthing." 

" Spare yourself all trouble of that kind," he answered, " it 
would do you no good at all to kill me, but be only hastening 
your own destruction. During my absence, I visited a military 
post, was introduced to the United States officers, prepared 
dispatches for Washington, in which all your secrets are laid 
bare ; and now what can you do V J 

She threw up her hands with a gesture of utter despair. 

"That is something you didn't expect, isn't it ?" he continued. 
" If you kill me to-morrow or to-night, it will not help you ; if 
you let me live, I have done you all the favor I can ; for, Mrs. 
Bradish, all your plans of aggrandizement and independence, 
must ultimately have failed, and you would have appeared in the 
characters of murderers, assassins, and traitors to your govern- 
ment." 

" Don't talk to me of traitors," she almost shrieked, " who is, 
who can be a greater traitor than yourself ?" 

"I am not a traitor, and whoever calls me so is a liar," he 
said passionately ; "I have never joined these schemes, nor had 
anything to do with them. I have never plotted against our 
government ; didn't I help to uphold its banners in Mexico ? 
haven't I always been a true and loyal citizen ? did I ever pro- 
mise any adherence to your iniquitous plans ?" 

" But the government at Washington is ten thousand miles 
away ; and it is doubtful, even then, whether or not they give 
credence to the news." 

Mrs. Bradish was well aware that the Federal Government, 
once informed of their secret desires and machinations, would 



Sagacity of Ethleen. 



405 



take such measures as to effectually preclude the establishment 
of their theocratical independence. Their designs were not yet 
ripe, that she well knew ; and she caught at the merest straw, 
in order to support her air-built castles, and sustain her sinking 
hopes but a moment louger. 

" The distance is nothing," resumed Harmer, " and one of the 
officers told me that rumors of secret conspiracies among us 
were common at the East, and that the appointment of a 
governor for our territory had been recommended to the Presi- 
dent." 

" A heathen governor, to spy and inspect our proceedings ? 
then, indeed, are we lost." 

" Saved, rather," reiterated Harmer, " I never saw nor heard 
of conduct more heathenish than is practised and approved here. 
Crimes that would send a man to the penitentiary in any of the 
States, are openly applauded with us, or you, as I utterly dis- 
claim all connection with your church henceforth, and had it not 
been for Emily, I should never have returned to such a nest of 
devils ; in. fact, if Ethleen had not come to my assistance, I 
know not whether I should ever have succeeded in getting back. 

"The Indian, Walker, who seems to be well posted up in all 
matters pertaining to the plans of B m, detained me in cap- 
tivity many days. My hands and feet were bound with thongs, 
and two young savages, stationed alternately at the door of the 
hut, kept watch over me. Another brought me a scanty pit- 
tance of food and water ; but it is an ill-wind that blows 
nobody any good, and my confinement here resulted in a vast 
increase of information, which I have faithfully transmitted to 
the Federal Government. 

" Ethleen, who came direct to the Utah country, possessed 
all the sagacity and cunning for which her race are distin- 
guished. She loitered in the neighborhood for several days, 
and, not wishing to be discovered, remained concealed among 



406 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



the hills. By one of those presentiments, for which it is impos- 
sible to account, it occurred to me that a friend was in the 
vicinity, and while debating in my mind who it could be, I 
thought of Ethleen, and her probable anxiety for the fate of her 
husband. Consequently, I was not in the least surprised when 
the son of Walker introduced her into my presence. He had 
first noticed her foot-prints in the sand, and following them, 
came suddenly upon her while she was sleeping. Struck with 
her beauty and youthful appearance, he loitered near till she 
awoke, when the preliminaries for a further acquaintance were 
settled. Learning her errand in their country, he brought her 
to me, though without the knowledge, and contrary to the 
wishes of his father. 

" With true Indian stoicism she received the news of her hus- 
band's death, made no remarks on his virtues, nor even inquired 
where the event took place ; but I soon learned that she was 
intriguing with young Walker for my release. The savage 
hesitated several days, while Ethleen continued her importu- 
nities, when one evening a large flask of whisky was. provided 
for my guard. The temptation proving too great for his 
sobriety, long before midnight he was wrapped in a drunken 
slumber. I heard his heavy and suppressed breathing, and soon 
perceived a light form gliding through the gloom. Then the 
thongs that bound my limbs were cut, and a well-remembered 
voice- bade me arise and be at liberty. 

" Young Walker furnished us with a couple of horses, and com- 
forted us with the assurance that we need not fear pursuit, as 
the warriors were just preparing to set off on an expedition 
against the Great Santa Ee Caravan. 

"It was necessary, however, to avoid my Mormon enemies, 
and so we took a new and undefinable route, in which the 
sagacity of Ethleen, as displayed in following courses, and 
ascertaining distances by the appearances and positions of the 



The Gold Fever. 



401 



planets, was truly remarkable. The monotony of our homeward 
route was diversified by one adventure only. We came sud- 
denly on an emigrant party, who had been attacked by Indians, 
and of whose number several had been wounded, and the best 
part of their goods carried off. They seemed greatly surprised 
that Indians should understand the English language so well, 
and resemble white men so exactly in all but color.' 7 



IKE the breaking out of an epidemic in New Orleans, or 



| J some other city of the South, the gold fever broke out, 
and raged with unparalleled violence, with this difference, how- 
ever, that epidemics are mostly local, or confined to particular 
localities, whereas the gold fever extended into all the cities, in 
fact over all the districts of the Federal Union. Commerce lan- 
guished, agriculture was suspended, and all political, or other 
business, gave way before it. Of course Utah was no exception 
to the general rule. The news came that large deposits of gold 
had been found in California. It ran through the country like 
wild-fire. The people were electrified, and many of them for-"* 
sook their farms and mechanic-shops, to search for, and wash 
gold. The hunters found this more profitable business than 
prowling on the trail of emigrants. The establishments for the 
manufacture of gunpowder and fire-arms, came to an immediate 
stand-still from a dearth of hands, since all the available work- 
ers flew off to the " diggings." In vain B m commanded 

them to stay, inveighed bitterly against the love of gold, and 



CHAPTER XLIT. 



THE GOLD FEVER, AND ITS EFFECTS. 





408 Female Life among the Mormons. 

talked of sacrifices in the cause of truth. His exhortations were 
attended with little or no influence, seeming only to prove the 
aphorism that opposition is the life of trade. 

Even Weldy, who received the wonderful information on his 
return from the church, where his marriage with the two Misses 
Melton had been solemnized, made immediate preparations to 
leave his home and bevy of wives, for the new-found El Dorado. 
Pursuant to this, he called up his family on the morning after 
his double marriage, and, informing them of the golden land 
lying just across the Sierra Nevada, declared his intention of 
visiting it, and recommended his youthful brides to the respect 
and consideration of the elder ones. 

"Won't I make 'em stand round when he is gone ?" said one 
of the younger wives, who, with neither beauty, nor wit, nor 
talent to recommend her, was certainly the tyrant of the flock. 
Her coarse manners, and cruel disposition, made her an object 
of fear and hatred, though Weldy, in consideration of the wealth 
she had brought him, was obligated to treat her with something- 
like deference. Notwithstanding the rules of Mormonism, she 
tyrannized without mercy over all the children, and such of the 
women as she could bend to her purpose. Weldy had been too 
much occupied with money-getting to maintain order in such a 
large family, besides, he hated trouble ; he hated when return- 
ing from the cares and turmoils of a business life, to be enter- 
tained at home with the clamors and complaints of his wives, 
demanding justice against each other. He soon came to view 
them as all alike culpable, and hesitated not to tell them so. 

"Now I'll tell you just what it is," he would say. " I don't 
want to hear any more of your fusses. You can all live toge- 
ther well enough if you have a mind to, and you shall, too. If I 
hear any more of your complaints, I'll give you a whipping all 
round — my word for it." 

This summary manner silenced the complaints in a great 



Portrait of a Mormon Lady. 409 

clegree, though it failed to remove the cause of them, and dis- 
cord, confusion, and misery, reigned supreme. Now, we have 
no idea of blaming the husband for all this. It was something 
that he could not, from the very nature of things, prevent. The 
dispositions of women are altogether beyond the control of men. 
Many husbands find it extremely difficult to get along reason- 
ably with one woman. Then, what can one man do with a 
dozen, or fourteen women, all in one family, considered as equals, 
without any legitimate head ? 

On the morning in question, the Mormon father and patri- 
arch, standing in the midst of the floor, took his farewell lea^e 
of each member of his family separately, and delivered to each 
one his parting benediction and advice. The women lingered 
around him, many of them the ugliest specimens of womanhood 
; in existence : some large, and others little ; some with blue, or 
black, or grey eyes. Some with babies ; others with none, but 
all alike watching with jealous eyes to detect any little token of 
esteem, by which preference to one more than the others might 
be manifested. 

Het, the tyrant of the household, was a bouncing dame, with 
a waist like a molasses-barrel, a face of the dimensions of a pew- 
ter-platter, freckled and blotched with moles, to say nothing of 
squint eyes, green in color, and hideous in expression. She 
hated beauty in anything ; but beautiful people were her especial 
abhorrence. 

" Now, Hetty, be good," said the husband, " and don't abuse 
the weaker ones." 

Hetty's eyes twinkled, but she did not speak. 

" You will do right, won't you, that you may live again after 
death, and reign with Christ a thousand years ?" 

There was really an expression of concern on his countenance 
as he made the interrogatory ; for he well understood her hate- 
ful disposition, 

18 



410 Female Life amoxg the Mormons, 

" Perhaps I will ; perhaps I won't," she answered. 

He barely touched her hands, but there was neither shake nor 
pressure, nor any salutation with the lips. She was evidently 
angry, but said nothing, and gave her place to another. 

" You are a woman of judgment, Eliza, do the best you can/ 7 
he said. 

" Which will be bad at the best, considering," she answered. 
The hand was lightly shaken. 

And thus the farewells were taken. There was little trace 
of feeling or emotion by any of them, or on either side. Poly- 
gamy, besides proving the ruin of all domestic peace, had been 
the destroyer of all household affection. It was the natural 
result of that abominable system. The last wives only, those 
wedded the day before, were saluted with a kiss. The children 
were not honored with a separate recognition and parental 
leave-taking, but told "good bye," and commanded to be good 
while papa went to get gold. 

" And so," said Het, before Weldy was out of sight, " and 
so the old boy has left us to our own destruction. Now, I 
mean to be queen, and have everything exactly my own way. 
You'll have to walk the chalk now ;" and she looked round on 
the assembled faces, her eyes gleaming with malicious pleasure. 

Het made immediate arrangements to take possession of the 
best room in the house, and form a sort of court, appointing some 
to perform the household drudgery ; others to look after the 
children ; and yet, others to watch the cows ; reserving four or 
five to wait on herself. But her subjects were stubborn and 
rebellious ; few consented to abide her authority, and these were 
mostly children who had experienced the power of her vigorous 
arm. Blows were not unfrequently exchanged, hair flew by 
handfuls, and many a face was bruised and battered till it bore 
little resemblance to the human countenance. With the excep- 
tion of the two sisters Melton, who had both been brought to 



Indian Vengeance. 



411 



this sink of iniquity on the same day, the women hated and dis- 
liked each other, and generally acted as spies on each other's 
conduct. This afforded a fruitful source of altercation and crim- 
ination, and eventually led to ruin and death. 

Hetty, ugly and despicable as she certainly was, had a lover, 
whom she was accustomed to meet in solitary places ; for it is 
necessary even here, that wives should conceal their infidelity, 
since husbands have almost unlimited power of punishment, such 
as disgrace, exposure, expulsion from the church, divorce, which 
includes refusal of support, banishment from the country, stripes 
or confinement ; indeed the wife is thrown completely on the 
mercy of the husband, in this as in other cases. 

Hetty, however, had been discovered in the society of her 
lover, by two Indian women, likewise the wives of Weldy, who 
watched the cows. The knowledge of this discovery held her in 
awe of them, until the departure of her husband, and the com- 
mencement of her unrestrained authority. These Indians pos- 
sessed all the characteristics of their race, especially that of never 
forgiving injuries ; and one day, suffering the best cows in the 
flock to stray, they were severely reprimanded by Hetty, who 
threatened them with stripes. They retorted ; accusing her of 
infidelity to her husband, before the whole household. This 
aroused her indignation to a perfect storm of passion, and seizing 
the girls by the hair, her usual manner of proceeding, she gave 
them both a violent beating, with a promise that if they 
breathed such a word again, she would drown them in the lake. 

Whether or not, she would have ventured to put the threat 
in execution, is a matter of doubt. The Indians, however, did 
not design to give her a chance ; yet, they went out as usual 
with the cows, and no one dreamed of the horrible thoughts con- 
cealed in their breasts. But all day long they were carefully 
looking and searching through the valley for a plant known by 
them to possess the power of rendering the partakers of it raving 



412 Female Life among the Mormons. 

mad, reveal all their secrets, even to the most infamous crimes, 
and finally, die, after suffering years of horrible torture. This, 
to these half-civilized children of the forest, seemed a vengeance, 
exquisite indeed ; but the plant capable of producing the extra- 
ordinary malady was scarce, and only to be found in particular 
localities. Then, too, the remarkably pungent and aromatic odor 
it exhaled, would render the administration of it peculiarly diffi- 
cult, if not dangerous. They ascertained, however, that the root 
dried and reduced to powder, while retaining all its poisonous 
qualities, lost its peculiar exhalation, and, sprinkled over food, 
might be readily mistaken for pepper or mustard. By searching 
several days, they obtained a considerable quantity ; I saw one 
of them with quite a bundle of it in her arms ; the dark red 
flower, and broad serrated leaf arrested my attention. To my 
inquiries of its name and properties, she answered vaguely, and 
with a hideous leer ; I felt disgusted with her, and passed on, 
retaining a portion of the leaves in my hand. These leaves 
applied to the nose had precisely the effect of hartshorn on the 
olfactory organs ; but if continued in, a strange, wild, incon- 
ceivable exhilaration of the mind occurred ; no one could 
describe the sensations experienced, or the remarkable phan- 
tasms that torture every sense. 

Having made their horrible preparation ready, one of the 
Indian women feigned sickness, as an excuse for staying at home. 
Her assistance in the kitchen was tendered, and accepted with- 
out the least suspicion of her design. In the absence of the cook 
she managed to spread the powdered root profusely over nearly 
every article of food, and this with the perfect knowledge that 
all the household women and children would partake of it. 
Excused from eating, by her pretended illness, she beheld her 
rivals and enemies with a countenance of malicious satisfaction, 
devour the poison, and chuckled inwardly over the idea of her 
horrible revenge. A few minutes after eating it, the victims 



Awful Effects of the Poison. 



413 



began to be aware that something was the matter ; but though 
all were more or less affected, the symptoms in the different ones, 
were different, owing, probably, to the constitution, or the 
quantity eaten. Some complained of shooting pains and dizziness 
in the head, and then began to hoot, halloo, tear their garments, 
break dishes, and act all sorts of imaginable freaks. Others 
crouched in the corner, grinning and chattering like monkeys. 
The children raced and screamed, and tore through the house, 
and out, and off, and down the street to the infinite dismay and 
horror of all sober people, who fancied that everybody's chil- 
dren but their own, should be trained to habits of sobriety. 

Mrs. Bradish, who visited all the houses in regular rotation, 
had called at the establishment of the Mrs. Weldy, with the 
design of spending the afternoon with them. Her astonishment 
at the scene before her, can be better imagined than described. 
Is it any wonder that she became frightened^ and fled from such 
a complication of horrors, leaving the poor sufferers to them- 
selves ? 

There is something in lunacy that, in all cases, inclines the 
patient to wander. Sleep, good natural balmy sleep, they 
never know. Physical fatigue and exhaustion may, after a time, 
induce a state resembling repose, though having little of its 
influence, and producing less of its effects. The inflamed and 
heated brain must still act and think — dreams, even more horri- 
ble than the waking fancy could produce, torture the restless 
victims, the most terrible of nightmares haunts and torments 
them, and death were a thousand times preferable to a life of 
such agony. 

Mrs. Bradish came directly to our house. Mr. Ward she 
said must go with her to see what could be done. The case 
was so extraordinary, we were half tempted to disbelieve the 
story, and consider the narrator herself as a little out of her 
head. 



414 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



" When you went there they were perfectly well ?" said Mr. 
"Ward, interrogatively. 

" Perfectly well, to all appearance, and just sitting down to 
eat dinner." 

" And what were the first symptoms of insanity V[ 

" The one that began eating first made all sorts of mouths 
and faces, and then sprang up and began dancing as if she had 
been bitten by a tarantula. Mercy on us ! yonder goes one of 
them now," she continued, looking from the window. 

Sure enough, tearing along the street, whooping and halloo- 
ing, was the beautiful Henriette Melton. 

" There's no use in waiting any longer, Mr. Ward, go with 
her and see what can be done," I advised. 

Mr. Ward rose, took down his hat, and invited me to accom- 
pany them. I felt a curiosity to do so, and readily complied. 
We found the house deserted by all but the Indian women, and 
they were up stairs, talking and jabbering in their native 
tongue. The table remained standing in the midst of the floor, 
the plates and dishes on it just as the victims of the dreadful 
poison had left them. The meat, however, had acquired a 
remarkable stain, and emitted a peculiar odor. Mr. Ward cut 
off a small slice and threw it to a dog belonging to the house. 
The animal ate it, and almost immediately exhibited the effects, 
howling, barking, jumping up in the air, and making all sorts of 
antics. We could doubt no longer that the food was poisoned, 
and our suspicions rested, of course, on the Indian women. 

By this time, quite a concourse of people had assembled, and 
the criminals were instantly secured. They were rummaging 
the trunks and chests, and packing up the best and most availa- 
ble articles, previous to their meditated flight from the place. 
At first they sturdily denied any participation in the horrid act, 
but, finding themselves disbelieved, openly and freely confessed 
it. The people demanded their immediate execution, without 



Return of the Gold Hunter. 415 



any of the forms of law, and they were taken to a tree in the 
valley, and there hung, without mercy and without regret. 

Their fate was horrible, yet incomparably less so than that of 
their victims. There were neither asylums, nor poor-houses, nor 
hospitals in Utah ; while some of the wretches had friends, and 
some had not. Many of them ran off wild, into the woods, 
haunted the dens and caverns of the mountains, and fled in 
inconceivable horror from the face of man. Some died, and 
their bleaching skeletons were found by hunters. Others, in 
their weakness, became the prey of wild beasts. The effects 
were less perceptible and violent on the children, some of whom 
are yet surviving, but stunted in body and deformed in intellect. 

Weldy returned from California to find his lands overrun with 
weeds and briars, his flocks wild in the woods, and his house 
the abode of owls and bats. Had there been proof of his 
death, his property would have been confiscated to the use of 
the church, but, as it was, everything was suffered to go to 
wreck. 

" No use in grieving over spilt milk," was his characteristic 
expression, when informed of the circumstances. " I have lost 
my women, but I have got gold," and he slapped his pockets. 
And the gold procured him wives. Fathers with marriageable 
daughters, would inquire of him why he didn't take another 
wife, because they were aware that he was able to pay hand- 
somely. Many mothers — in justice to the especial truth and 
purity of woman's nature — did object to such heartless arrange- 
ments, but their objections elicited only reproach. 



416 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



CHAPTER XLY. 

REVELATIONS. 

~Y7\ ORTUN ATE it was for all concerned, that the timely dis- 
Jj covery of gold in California diverted the attention of the 
Mormons, and withdrew so many of their available men. 
These men, once beyond the influence of the governing High 
Priest, found their zeal for the church and the propagation of 
their principles remarkably cooled. Even the leaders, finding 
their projects foiled, and their schemes circumvented, grew 
ashamed of their crimes, and many of them adopted a more 
healthy state of feeling and sentiment. This was especially the 
case with Mrs. Bradish, whose really strong mind soon recov- 
ered from the shock of blasted hopes and disappointed ambition, 
and who, by a reaction of views not at all remarkable, awoke 
as from a dream, to a clear conception of the fallacious charac- 
ter of the desires and aspirations in which she had indulged. 
This change of sentiment was attended by the deepest remorse. 
The true character of the Mormon leaders, with whom she had 
associated, in whose deceptions she had partaken, and whose 
crimes she had assisted, rose up before her in all their hideous 
deformity, and bitter were her tears of repentance and regret. 

" And your pecuniary loss, my dear madam," I said to her, 
one day, when she was discussing the subject ; " your pecuniary 
loss must be considerable, since I believe you told me that your 
fine property was mostly embarked in the church." 



Mesmerism in Aid to Moemonism. 



41? 



" My loss of property has been what most people would con- 
sider great,' 7 she replied, " yet that is nothing to loss of upright- 
ness, integrity, and peace of mind ; nothing to the loss of 
confidence in yourself. I was the dupe of a miserable villain, 
while firmly believing myself to be exercising shrewdness, and 
executing the schemes of a lofty ambition. The early Mormon 
leaders possessed a singular and fascinating power, which they 
practised on all that came within their influence, by which they 
pretended to cure diseases and work miracles, and which "■ 

" Is now popularly known by the name of Mesmerism/' I said, 
interrupting her. 

" Even so," she answered ; " and that mysterious influence, so 
little known at that time, contributed, in no small degree, to his 
success, and that of those engaged with him." 

" The mystery of it is, how Smith came to possess the know- 
ledge of that magnetic influence, several years anterior to its 
general circulation throughout the country." 

" That is no mystery to me," she replied. " Smith obtained 
his information, and learned all the strokes, and passes, and 
manipulations, from a German peddler, who, notwithstanding 
his reduced circumstances, was a man of distinguished intellect 
and extensive erudition. Smith paid him handsomely, and the 
German promised to keep the secret." 

" And you ?" 

" I learned the whole affair in my intercourse with the elders. 
I was present when Smith instructed Mr. Ward in the art. You, 
madam, were subjected to its influence. So have ten thousand 
others been, who never dreamed of it. Those most expert in it, 
are generally sent out to preach among unbelievers. When a 
person becomes identified in name, and standing, and charac- 
ter, with us, its exercise is not so necessary, and is generally 
suffered to fall into disuse." 

Mrs. Bradish covered her face with her hands, and sat, several 

18* 



418 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



minutes in silence. " Poor Ellen !" she said at length, " what a 
fate was hers I" 

" And Mrs. Clarke ?" I suggested. 

" I sinned deeply against them in more ways than one, and, 
Mrs. Ward, I have sinned against you." 
" Against me ?" 

" Against you. Do you know this letter ?" and she drew 
from her pocket a missive, which I remembered as the* one that 
I had written and indited to my friends, so many years before. 
Great, indeed, was my astonishment ; but she gave me no time 
for remark. " This letter, of course, was never sent, as you sup- 
posed. Yet, you must be aware that one very near and dear to 
you was the instigator of the deception." 

" I perceive it." 

" He met you in the stage, admired you, and commenced a 
systematic plan of deception, to secure you to himself. Can you 
forgive him V 

" I can ; for this deception has been overruled to procure me 
the happiness of loving." 

" Can you forgive more than that ?" 
"I think so." 

" Could you forgive the man who imposed upon you by a false 
marriage ? Could you forgive that ?" 

" Torture me not with such questions. Our marriage was not 
false and spurious." 

" And for that, you may thank me ; for your husband 
designed, and even believed, for some time, that he had thus 
imposed on you." 

" Is it possible ?" I inquired, overwhelmed with grief and hor- 
ror at this treachery. 

" Don't you recollect your astonishment at not being called 
on to sign the deed of conveyance, when Mr. Ward sold his 
landed estate ?" 



Mrs. Bradish reveals Secrets. 



419 



u I remember.' 7 

" And that proves my assertion, that he did not then regard 
you as his lawful wife. Mr. Ward, however he might love you, 
loved the interests of Mormonism better, and it was his policy 
to prevent, in this way, your claim to dower, in the event of 
your surviving him ; because he desired that his property, when 
he was done with it, might go to the church." 

" And you discovered this ?" 

" I was the confidant of all his schemes, and determined, from 
the first, that justice should be done to you. It required a lit- 
tle art and address to procure a real magistrate, instead of the 
false one he intended, without his discovering the cheat. How- 
ever, I succeeded, and you were really married." 

" Does he know it now ?" 

" Certainly ; and when I informed him of the truth, he thanked 
me a thousand times, and said that I had made him happy, and 
removed a weight of guilt from his mind. The fact is, when Mr. 
Ward united with the Mormons, he entertained ambitious views, 
and wished to be a leader ; consequently, it was his purpose to 
embark all his pecuniary resources in the enterprise. Tailing in 
this, and the feelings of his better nature being brought into 
exercise, he began to consider the wrong practised against you, 
which, through my contrivance, had been averted." 

I thanked her for the interest she had manifested in my 
behalf. 

" J Tis nothing," she answered ; " and yet, I could wish that 
you would remember me with kindness, when I am gone." 

" Gone ? Where are you going, then ?" 

"■ To California, the Land of Gold." 

" But what employment can you find there ?" 

" I should suppose, a plenty, from all accounts. The Still- 
mans and Mrs. Beardsley are going likewise. Harmer, too, 
though he wishes to first find Emily." 



420 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



Here a light, clear, silvery, ringing laugh burst on our ears. 
Looking towards the door whence it came, we detected a female 
form, half hidden behind a large bush of Mexican roses. " Show 
yourself," said Mrs. Bradish, playfully catching the stranger in 
her arms, and withdrawing the hands from the blushing face. 

" Emily ! is it possible ; where have you been, child ?" 

"Not a prisoner, certainly, to judge from the radiant coun- 
tenance," said Mrs. Bradish. 

And sure enough, her face was the very picture of happiness. 
Mrs. Bradish drew her into the house, and seated her in a chair. 

" Now tell us where you have been," she said. 

"Indeed, I cannot," she replied. 

" Well, we know something of it already," I said. " You were 
carried off by the Indians." 

"Who became weary of keeping you, and so brought you 
back," said Mrs. Bradish. " But it cost us all an infinite deal 
of trouble and perplexity, and resulted in death to some." 

It is not necessary to give here the long conversation that fol- 
lowed, or the mutual explanations demanded and accorded on 
both sides. But Emily was silent on many points which we were 
extremely curious to have explained. 

"I cannot tell you, indeed, I can't," she said. "Because it 
seriously implicates my father." 

"Your father ?" 

"Yes ; among my other adventures I have discovered him." 

" And he is no other than the renowned and redoubtable Mor- 
mon leader, B m," said Mrs. Bradish ; " I have long sus- 
pected it." 

" Even so," said Emily, " a circumstance which causes me to 
both rejoice and weep. I no longer feel that overpowering sense 
of loneliness, which used to accompany the remembrance of my 
forlorn and unprotected condition, for he owns and acknowledges 
me as his lawful and legitimate daughter. He was legally 



Re-appearance of Emily. 



421 



united to my mother, though report at the time affirmed the 
contrary, and yet I am, I must be, filled with grief and horror 
and astonishment at the circumstances under which this discov- 
ery was made." 

We besought her to relate the particulars, but she steadfastly 

refused, and then we learned that B m only ascertained his 

relationship to her the day before, while pressing with unwonted 
ardor his claim for her hand, and that the letter left by her 
mother was considered by him sufficient proof to establish the 
fact beyond a doubt. 

" And you were really in his house," said Mrs. Bradish, " and 
his wives knew nothing about it." 

" I was in his house, a part of the time at least, and they did 
know all about it," said Emily, " of course they durst not reveal 
the secret, and living in that house as I have, I am more than 
ever convinced of the sin and shame of polygamy. From first to 
last it is evil, abominable and disgusting." 

" And yet I have heard several women approve of the sys- 
tem," said Mrs. Bradish. 

" Yet you should recollect, Mrs. Bradish," said Emily, " that 
very few women who may have experienced the evils of poly- 
gamy are at liberty to express their real sentiments. Eor 
instance a woman, who, to my certain knowledge, was burning 
with abhorrence of the system, was entrapped into sending a 
long letter to her mother at home, in which her situation was 
described as most desirable, though her husband had several 
wives. And that same letter got into the newspapers, went the 
rounds of the Union, and even came to Utah, with her name 
attached to it, though she was utterly ignorant of its existence 
in any such shape." 

" We all know that wives are kept in the background." 

"And the worst of it is, they have no legal redress. The 
most, in fact the utmost, that a woman can do, is to conform to 



422 Female L:fe among the Mormons. 



her circumstances, and be satisfied with her lot. Who would 
complain, when conscious that the complaint would only make 
matters worse ? To appreciate polygamy, we must have a view, 
of its practical operation, we must come face to face with it, sit 
at the same table where- a dozen women and a multitude of chil- 
dren, all the wives and offspring of one man, partake their daily 
meals ; we must observe the rivalries, the jealousies, and heart- 
burnings ; we must hear their bitter recriminations, which the 
utmost authority of the husband, which the dread of stripes, 
imprisonment and divorce cannot wholly suppress." 

And yet the whole tendency of Mormonism is to perpetuate 
the system." 

" It certainly is, and that by reducing females to a helpless 
and dependent state. Even now, a woman, if she expects to 
live, must have a husband or a father on whom she can depend 
for food and clothing. The avenues of employment are shut 
against her. Wages are out of the question. If a man wishes 
female labor performed, he will take another wife 'who can 
expect nothing but personal support. If a wife grows dissatis- 
fied with her lot, the husband divorces her ; how, then, is she to 
live ? She must beg, but there is a law against begging, there 
is a law against assisting vagabond and divorced wives ; not a 
public law, a law to fall beneath the notice of the world, and be 
criticised, and its justice examined, but a rule of the Church, 
quite as potent, and even more dangerous, because secret." 

" Yet you will take a husband, and become a wife," said Mrs. 
Bradish, " no doubt, with the expectation that your beloved will 
be so good and loving as never to insult you with the presence 
of another wife." 

" I will place it beyond his power to do so," said Emily. " I 
leave Utah for California now in a few days." 

" And Harmer goes with you ?" 

" That is the calculation." 



Harmer finds his Betrothed. 



423 



" Then you have had an interview ?" 

" Of course, business called him to my father's this morning. 
I was sitting at his feet in the general reception room. He 
inferred from our apparent intimacy that the union to which 
he was so deeply opposed had been consummated. But rising 
instantly, and extending my hand, I introduced him to my 
father. His sufprise can be easier imagined than described ; 
this, however, gave way to the liveliest emotions of pleasure 
when the old gentleman promised to sanction our union, and 
even seemed glad, of a pretext to get rid of us so easily." 

" Does he know of your proposed removal V - 

" He does ; and not only assents to it, but said that he hoped 
all the disaffected to his administration would accompany us, as 
he wanted none but believers to inhabit the City of the Saints." 

" Heaven grant that everything may transpire as you wish, 
yet I may be pardoned for having my doubts. All in this world 
is uncertain," I said. 

Mr. Ward and others now came in. They all congratulated 
Emily on. her acknowledged relationship to the Governor and 
Prophet, wished her all happiness in her approaching marriage, 
and the prospect of her future residence in the land of gold. 
Mrs. Brauish appeared more lively and cheerful than I had seen 
her for some time, talked of her probable adventures in scaling 
the Sierra Nevada, and her success in amassing her fortune when 
she arrived at the " diggings." 



424 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



CHAPTER XL Y I. 



MYSTERIES. 



INCE my residence among the Mormons, I had as little 



general intercourse with them as possible, rarely went to 
their meetings, and knew nothing of their political business or 
church affairs, except such information as circumstances threw in 
my way. I was not, and never had been, a believer in their 
doctrines, and unless I had absolutely closed my ears and eyes 
and understanding to all passing events, I could not fail to per- 
ceive that the whole system was founded on arrant jugglery and 
imposture, and that all sorts of secret arts were employed to 
entrap the weak, the unsuspecting, and the unwary. But there 
was one thing I could "not fathom, one mystery utterly unresol- 
vable, and though I am not naturally suspicious, or prone to 
indulge unreasonable conjectures, I found it impossible to banish 
all thoughts of foul play from my mind. Indeed, several circum- 
stances, all light and trivial, taken separately, yet of considerable 
importance in the aggregate, had inspired me with a sort of 
vague indefinable suspicion, that the Mormon Church was the 
centre of a secret organization, whose plots and plans were of 
Jie blackest description. I had known for many years that the 
scum of society, the refuse of prisons, and criminals hoary with 
all sorts of sin, were freely admitted and registered in its ranks. 
I had been aware of political machinations, and plundering 
expeditions against the helpless and unsuspecting emigrants, and 




Mysterious Disappearances. 



425 



yet had fondly imagined that such things arose rather from the 
turpitude and evil dispositions of the Mormon leaders, than from 
the absolute and unchangeable nature of the principles of the 
Mormon Church. I knew that a thing pure and heavenly in 
itself, might be perverted to favor the purposes of designing men, 
but after awhile I began to suspect and ultimately discovered 
that the root of the evil was in Mormonism itself ; that a 
Mormon, if he acted out the principles of his church, must be 
hypocritical, sensual, devoid of all conscience, and devilish. 

Was my husband of this class ? " Speak well of a bridge 
that carries you safe over," is an old adage, and so far at least 
he had always treated me with kindness and affection. Then I 
remembered the disclosures of Mrs. Bradish, and the deception 
he had employed in our first acquaintance, which only seemed an 
additional proof, but no matter. It is not becoming in a woman 
to speak ill of her husband. 

I had noticed on several occasions the mysterious and unac- 
countable disappearance of several persons, not my particular or 
intimate friends, or those belonging to the circle in which I was 
accustomed to move, but people that I knew by sight and repu- 
tation, whose faces I had encountered in the street, and whose 
names were familiar. Yet these sudden disappearances never 
elicited remarks or inquiries ; that is, among those who should 
have taken the matter in hand. They were gone, and that com- 
prised the sum of the matter; but where they were, or who had 
spirited them away, was quite another thing. In all cases, 
however, the persons thus mysteriously removed, were enemies 

of the person or administration of B m, and sometimes it 

appeared they had been aspirants to supplant him, or share his 
rule. 

Lawrence and Irene were two of this number. They had 
dwelt together in a small house, and Irene might be seen daily 
walking with him in their little garden. But all at once the 



426 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



door of their cottage was closed, the garden was solitary, their 
domestic animals ran wild to be reclaimed by order of the church, 
but the church made no inquiry concerning their owners, Mr. 
Ward said that they might be off on a journey. He didn't 
know why any one should ask of him where they were, as he 
was not their keeper. 

Almost precisely the language of Cain, but I banished the 
thought. Equally mysterious had been the disappearances of 
others. An amiable young man, who had visited Utah in com- 
pany with an emigrant train, became deeply enamored of a young 
girl belonging to a Mormon family, though not a daughter of 
the house. His affections were returned with ardor by the 
lady, whose hand had been demanded by a Mormon elder, 
already the husband of nine wives. Ignorant of danger and 
intent only on the gratification of his passion, the lover remained 
in Utah while his friends prosecuted their journey. Arabel, 
from the commencement of his attentions, had been strictly 
watched, yet love laughs at locksmiths, and they had concerted 
a plan of escape. This by some unaccountable means was 
betrayed, and the eloping lady leaped from the window of the 
room in which she was confined, not into the arms of the youth, 
but those of the man she loathed and hated. 

But where went the lover ? 

To this day no one knows, that is, if their words are regarded 
as the truth, but there are those whose cheeks will blench at the 
mention of his name. 

Several women disappeared in the same manner, generally 
disaffected wives. B m very laconically explained the mat- 
ter in a newspaper published by his direction, and under his 
supervision, by stating that Indian Walker was passionately 
fond of the Mormon women, and that unless husbands were more 
careful of their wives in future, they would lose yet more of 
them. But Mormon husbands are careful of their wives with a 



Gross Deception. 



421 



vengeance, and it. seemed remarkable that the Indians should 
only meddle with such as had become obnoxious to their 
husbands. 

A young and very prepossessing lady came with an emigrant 
train bound to Oregon. She became acquainted with a- man, 
apparently a gentleman, who represented himself to her as being 
single, and possessing a large property. Other arts and 
intrigues were brought to bear upon her, and she finally con- 
sented to become his wife. The marriage took place in the 
morning, and the same day her friends resumed their journey. 
But judge of her consternation and astonishment, on being con- 
veyed to his home, to find it tenanted by one wife, whose appear- 
ance betokened her a perfect tigress. She took no further notice 
of the new wife, than to order her into the kitchen, and bidding 
her remember that henceforth that was to be her place. Julia 
looked at her husband. 

" Margaret is right, my dear," he said. " You must always 
obey her ; indeed, on that condition only, she consented to my 
bringing you here." 

Julia was too deeply grieved to speak, and retired to the 
kitchen, and from that hour a system of tyranny and cruelty 
was practised by the first wife on the second that almost exceeds 
belief. 

Julia applied to her husband in vain. 

" The wife's first duty was obedience," he said. 

" Obedience to yourself," suggested Julia. 

"Obedience to me, comprises obedience to her likewise," 
Answered the husband, " because it is my command that you 
obey and serve Margaret ; but don't bother me with your 
fusses." 

And so Julia was constrained to perform all the household 
drudgery, and not unfrequently was subjected to physical pun- 
ishment of a cruel and revolting kind. For, though the rules 



428 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



of Mormondom actually forbid the exercise of authority or pun- 
ishment by one wife over another, the husband is at perfect 
liberty to suspend these rules any moment when he sees fit. 

Julia found the trials and miseries of her lot increasing every 
day, and she finally informed her husband that she had made up 
her mind to leave him with the first emigrant train that came 
along, and one was then expected every day. The husband 
approved her plan, said that he would give her money, and 
seemed perfectly satisfied. But two or three evenings subse- 
quently she disappeared, and was never seen or heard of after- 
wards. Nothing, however, was done about it. Some few of 
the women expressed surprise, but were silenced by a Mormon 
elder, who assured them that Satan had carried her off bodily, 
because she presumed to be discontented with her happy lot 
among the children of God. 

Another source of mystery and terror in Utah, was the 
almost constant exercise of Lynch law ; and, of this too, women 
were mostly the victims. Let a woman, if she dare, commit 
such acts as would be likely to bring polygamy into disrepute, 
expose the weakness or sensuality of an elder, or manifest a dis- 
approbation to the existing state of things, and some hideous 
punishment would be sure to be hers — when, where, or what, it 
would be impossible to tell, though none the less hideous and 
certain — that is, if information of it ever reached the ears of the 
elect and sanctified. 

In this respect, matters daily, and almost hourly, grew worse, 
On our first arrival at the Salt Lake, and some time subse- 
quently, we enjoyed a tolerable degree of freedom, but the reins 
had been gradually tightened, until it seemed that our very 
thoughts were under a secret surveillance. And the worst 
feature of the case was the deep and unfathomable mystery 
attending it. Punishments were inflicted for words lightly 
spoken, long after the words and the occasion of them were 



Mormon Barbarities. 



429 



forgotten. Lynch laws were summarily executed on helpless 
victims, entirely ignorant of the crimes of which they were 
accused. Few women thus punished ever recovered from the 
effects of it to their dying day, and many were rendered ner- 
vous, and half insane, from apprehension of the like. 

One poor woman, who had told an emigrant, in the hearing of 
a Mormon elder, that polygamy was a system of abominations, 
and who repeated a few of her troubles and sufferings, was taken 
one night when she stepped out for water, gagged, carried a 
mile into the woods, stripped nude, tied to a tree, and scourged 
till the blood ran from her wounds to the ground, in which con- 
dition she was left till the next night, when her tormentors vis- 
ited her again, took her back to her husband's residence, and 
laid her on the door-step, where she remained till morning. 

Could any woman be expected ever to recover from such 
treatment as this ? I think not. She remained sick for a long 
time. Her husband's other wives refused to nurse and care for 
her, and she finally died, after lingering something more than a 
year. 

Another female was suddenly snatched up by a man on horse- 
back, when returning to her home in the dusk of the evening, 
carried to a retired place, and her mouth and tongue seared 
with a red-hot iron, though they refused to inform her in what 
she had offended, and she could remember nothing. 

Such things were not solitary acts, but of frequent occurrence, 
and the female part of the population were in a state of con- 
stant apprehension. 

It was a long time before I became fully convinced that all 
these things were the result of a systematic plan. Husbands, I 
knew, possessed almost unlimited discretion as to the punish- 
in oat of wives, but this Lynching business, which was quite a 
modern improvement, inspired every one with tenfold horror, 
from the mystery connected with it ; and once coming into 



430 Female Life among the Mormons. 

vogue it soon superseded all the former modes of puuishment by 
divorce, stripes administered by the husband himself, or solitary 
confinement. At least this appeared to be the case, for after 
the Lynching became fashionable, we heard very little of domes- 
tic punishments, and this certainly looked as if the whole thing 
was managed by preconcerted arrangement. ' No wonder that 
the bravest women were actually nervous with constant dread 
and apprehension. 

In this state of doubt and conjecture, it cannot be wondered 
at that I had my secret fears and misgivings, that the party 
making such preparations for a start to California would be 
suddenly cut off by some remarkable and mysterious means. 
Once I ventured to express this apprehension to Mr. Ward. 
He looked at me with a searching and inquiring glance. 

" Why, do you fear that ?" he said. 

" Because others have disappeared so suddenly and strangely, 

and because" 

" What ?" 

" I hardly know, I cannot tell, a presentiment, or something 
like it, perhaps." 

■' I don't believe in presentiments," he said sternly, and the 
subject was dropped. 

Some few days after this, he came to me where I was sitting 
alone in my little parlor, and said ; " Maria, I have something 
of importance to say to you. It is necessary for your own 
safety and happiness that you listen to me." 

A thousand vague indefinable fears, a thousand horrid 
fancies and suspicions flashed through my brain ; my head grew 
dizzy, I felt sick, and darkness surrounded me, when my hus- 
band sprang forward and caught me in his arms. " You need 
not be frightened," he said, in a soothing voice, "I only wished 
to give you some advice ; Maria, my wife, you have been all 
along rather free with your tongue." 



Having Eyes they See Not. 



43i 



I felt that there might be truth in this, though I was too 
deeply agitated to speak. 

"Nay, Maria, do not tremble so, dear, no one is going to 
hurt you," he said ; " but, Maria, you know something of Mor- 
monism ?" 

" Something, very little," I whispered ; "you know I seldom 
attend their meetings." 

"You know something, and conjecture something ; is it not 
so ?" and his eyes sought mine. 

I could not endure their gaze, but answered ; What should 
I conjecture ?" 

For a moment his countenance grew angry, then changed 
to a grave and serious expression. 

" This play of words is worse than folly, and it is utterly 
useless to attempt deceiving me. I know well what you sus- 
pect, and now answer me truly, have you told these suspicions 
to any one V 

"I cannot positively recollect what I may have said, yet I 
think not. But suppose I had, what then ?" 

" I cannot tell exactly," said Mr. Ward ; " and, my wife, 
having eyes, you must be blind, having ears, you must be deaf, 
having a mind, you must be utterly devoid of understanding. 
Whatever you may suspect, never breathe that suspicion, what- 
ever you may imagine, never give it a tangible form. It is the 
only course that you or any one else can pursue with safety." 

" Mr. Ward, will you tell me why V 

" I may not, my clear, yet, depend upon it, such is the case." 
" No doubt ; and Mr. Ward, may I ask you yet another 
question ?" 

" Yes, my dear, a dozen if you please." 
" And you will answer them truly ?" 

" Probably, if it is consistent ; but, Maria, I am under obli- 
gations that I may not, must not explain ; you must not even 



432 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



tempt me to their infringement, because — because — well, no 
matter, there is a reason, and one so important that I hesitate 
about telling it." 

" You know, Mr. Ward, that there have been many sudden 
and mysterious disappearances. In fact it seems that persons 
can hardly venture from their doors after night-fall, without 
something befalling them. Is not this so ?" 

" Enough like it," said Mr. Ward, burying his face in his 
hands, 

11 Many poor women have been treated very cruelly, without 
knowing for what they suffered, or who were the executioners. 
Now, what I want to know is, whether these acts are the work 
of irresponsible men, acting from motives of personal malice and 
revenge, or whether the church instigates and directs them as 
part of its policy to force obedience." 

" That, Maria, I cannot tell." 

" Don't you know, Mr. Ward ?" 

" Granting that I do know, I must not tell." 

" Then it is the Church ; because if the guilt rested on 
irresponsible shoulders, you would be ready to say so." 

" You reason from false premises, and jump at hasty conclu- 
sions," said Mr. Ward, " but beware of curiosity ; it was the 
fatal sin of Eve." 

" But how can I help having curiosity, when such strange 
things are being transacted." 

" It is not such a very strange thing in Utah, for refractory 
wives to be punished, is it ?" said Mr. Ward, rather seriously. 

" No, Mr. Ward, it is not, and the constant recurrence of 
such punishments has filled me with the direst apprehensions." 

" And yet, my dear, you must know that the wives are not 
such patterns of amiability and obedience as they should be. 
Think of Mrs. Foster, and the hideous crime she committed. 
Was not that deserving of punishment V 7 



Interesting Dialogue. 



433 



" The husband was first to blame, for exposing her to the 
liability of committing the crime/' 

"No, no ; such reasoning as that will not do." 

" It will, it must do, because it is the truth. Mrs. Foster 
was brought up, educated, and married in a country, where pub- 
lic opinion, law, Gospel, everything, regards polygamy as a great 
crime. She discharged all the duties of a wife, well and nobly, 
while her husband remained true to her. But he must remove 
her here, and outrage her sense of justice and propriety by 
taking another wife, and that wife a weakly, sickly creature, 
incapable of taking care of herself, or the children she was yearly 
bringing into the world. And so Mrs. Foster was required to 
do all the household drudgery, nurse her rival, and be the slave 
of that rival's children. There was no chance of escape, no pos- 
sibility of change, except by death. Some women would have 
killed themselves, Mrs. Foster preferred to remove the cause of 
her trouble. She did so, was detected in the crime, and hung 
privately, after being tortured by severe scourging, as a whole- 
some example to other wives." 

" And other wives required the example." 

" That is your opinion." 

" And it must be yours, or if not, you had better be careful 
not to manifest your opposition. This much I will tell you, that 
suspected persons are watched by the authorities of the church, 
and such punishments as the church appoints, are meted out to 
offenders. Yet the utmost secresy is a part of our policy, and 
the knowledge you now possess, were you known to betray it, 
might cost you your life." 

"Mrs. Bradish and Harmer will hardly keep your secrets 
when they arrive in California. Emily, too, knows more than 
I do. How about them V 

"When they get to California," repeated Mr. Ward. 

19 



434 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



The words were simple in themselves, but the tone, the look 
accompanying them, filled my mind with a dreadful suspicion. 

" Yes, when they get there, Mr. Ward, or will that consum- 
mation of their wishes be prevented ?" 

" How should I know ? A thousand things over which I 
have no control may prevent them. Heaven may order other- 
wise, if they design to do injury to the church and the saints. 
But, after all," continued Mr. Ward, " though they may con- 
jecture much, they know very little, and of our most secret and 
intricate business they cannot even have an inkling. We soon 
learned to distrust Mrs. Bradish, as we saw from the first that 
she designed to rule in the end, and knowing that, we judged, 
and circumstances have proved the justice of our judgment, that 
her schemes once thwarted, she would immediately forsake us." 

" How I wish that we could go with them •" I said. 

" You are not unhappy, be you ?" he inquired. 

" Personally I am not, yet relatively I am. This place is a 
perfect Sodom, of that you must be beware. How unhappy and 
miserable are the women, how degraded the children. And 
your two daughters here, in this abominable sink of iniquity, 
to be perhaps the tenth or twentieth wife of some sensual ani- 
mal, who only lives for licentious gratification." 

" Softly, softly, speak softly," said Mr. Ward, " such lan- 
guage used to some others would subject you to punishment." 

" And that is the reason why I wish to get away." 

" Even that wish, if known, would be considered a crime." 

" What then are we, poor women, to do ?" 

*■• Be contented with your lot." 

" And if that is impossible ?" 

" Be silent, Maria ; more than once your conversation has 
been reported, and I have been obliged to employ all my influ- 
ence in your behalf, and that, after a time, will be of no avail. I 



Important Discovery. 



435 



mention this that you may be on your guard, and not expose 
yourself to punishment." 

" But who reported my conversation V 

" I know nothing about that. No informer is known by our 
rules of judicature." 

Here company came in ; a Mormom elder with his girlish 
and seventh wife. The lady soon departed, however, though the 
husband remained to have a discussion with Mr. Ward, and I 
retired to my room. 



HE rooms were on a floor, and only divided by a thin partL 



JL tion ; hence though it was not my purpose to listen to their 
conversation, I became unintentionally acquainted with the sub- 
ject of their discourse. It was not theology, but the revelation 
of a crime, the atrocity of which rendered me breathless and 
horror-struck. 

A young American officer had visited Mormondom, some 
time before, on business or pleasure, I am unable to say which. 
A small party accompanied him, and they were hospitably 
received and entertained by the Mormon elders. Gunison, the 
leader, was a man of talents, a shrewd observer, and he pos- 
sessed likewise no small share of that feminine quality, termed 
curiosity. He knew that polygamy was in vogue among us, 
but he seemed rather dissatisfied with the accounts given him 
by the masculine portion of the community, and their praise of 
the system, and employed various endeavors to get the judg- 



CHAPTER XLYII. 



LIGHT. 




436 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



ment of the women upon it. His designs becoming known, he 
was subjected to the strictest scrutiny, and not a woman per- 
mitted to speak with him. Some of his men, however, were 
more fortunate, and two of them discovered distant relatives, 
who gave their opinions of Mormonism and polygamy unre- 
servedly, with the stipulation that they should be immediately 
taken away, as their condition w"as unendurable, and they would 
rather bear all the hardships, and fatigue, and exposure incident 
to their long journey back to the world and civilization, than 
remain any longer with the Mormons. Perhaps these women 
were ignorant, or in their ardent desire to escape, did not suffi- 
ciently and prudently consider the danger to which they were 
exposing their friends. Perhaps they trusted to chance, or pro- 
vidence, or fate, but by the employment of stratagem they 
escaped successfully from the Salt Lake City. Their absence 
being discovered at the same time when (lunison went away, of 
course, their abduction was laid to him. The rage of the elders, 
when aware of this, knew no bounds. They honored the gallant 
and his companions with the most opprobrious epithets, and a 
meeting was summoned immediately. This much I knew at the 
time ; but the result of that meeting, and the assassinations to 
which it led I learned from the conversation alluded to above. 
It appeared also that Gunison had otherwise rendered himself 
obnoxious to the Mormon saints, by the discovery of some of 
their secret designs. At any rate, it became their murderous 
policy to attempt his destruction. 

Coolly, and with all the complacency imaginable, did the Mor- 
mon elder proceed to relate the story of their sanguinary deed. 
How the party sent to cut off Gunison, prospered on the way, 
how the Lord directed them to his trail, and how they followed 
it many days, and finally discovered him, with his companions, 
encamped on a hill. How the Mormon leader, seized with sud- 
den inspiration, ordered his men to choose every one his man, 



Murder of Gunison's Party. 



43? 



and when their rifles were discharged, to rush in with their 
knives and tomahawks, and kill the wounded, declaring that 
the curse of God would rest on them if they left one alive, 
except the women, who were to be reserved for a more cruel 
fate. 

" And what did they do with the women ?" queried Mr. 
Ward. 

" Took them to the nearest river, tied their garments over 
their heads, and drowned them," said the elder. " The Lord 
prospered us in that, and he will prosper us in this, too, never 
fear." 

Thus I found that their success in the horrible massacre of 
Gunison's party, was being employed as an argument that suc- 
cess would attend them in some other equally horrible. 

" Doubtless the Lord will prosper us," said Mr. Ward. 

I knew his voice, and actually shuddered at the profanation of 
that holy name. And it is one of the greatest horrors of Mor- 
monism, that its votaries pretend a divine sanction for all their 
sins ; that they have a " thus saith the Lord," for their most 
palpable wickedness. According to their accounts, He prospers 
them in murder, assassination, licentious intercourse, and the 
torture of helpless women. Blessed are the eyes that have 
never gazed on their villainous faces, and let all at a distance 
take up the language of the patriarch, " Oh, my soul, come 
not in to their assembly ; to their secrets, my honor, be thou not 
united ; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will 
they digged down a well." 

No wonder that I lost a part of this delectable conversation. 
It is a wonder that I listened again, when a new subject was 
introduced. 

Pursuant to the policy of the Mormons, to suppress all infor- 
mation of their plans and doings, and prevent any accounts, not 
favorable to their moral and religious character, from reaching 



438 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



public view, they had taken for their rule of conduct the old 
adage, that " dead men tell no tales," and the knowledge of a 
great state secret, in the most despotic government on earth, 
could not have been more fatal than it was among them. 

It must not be supposed, however, that all the Mormons were 
cognizant of this state of things, or guilty of participation in 
such crimes. Some were mere passive spectators, who took no 
pains to inquire into the actual causes of many events transpir- 
ing around them. Others, whatever they might think, took 
good care never to express their thoughts. And some, I would 
fain believe, were really ignorant. 

It may seem strange, that a society of men could carry on a 
scheme of premeditated villany so many years, and the public 
remain in ignorance of it, especially when emigrant trains were 
passing through the country at intervals, and conjecture might 
reasonably infer that where so much obnoxious existed they 
would be likely to discover something. 

And one party of emigrants did discover something, but 
which they never revealed. It was late in autumn, when a com- 
pany, numbering eight wagons, ten men, twelve women, and a 
little multitude of children, halted at Salt Lake City to rest 
and refresh themselves and their animals, preparatory to 'cross- 
ing the Sierra Nevada. The men were shrewd and observant, 
the females inquisitive, which gave considerable umbrage to the 
Mormon elders, though the hypocrites forbore to express an 
open dissatisfaction. 

We have all heard and sympathized with the runaway slave, 
who is tracked by bloodhounds ; in Utah, guests and visitors 
are tracked by spies quite as cruel and remorseless. Words are 
noted down, actions are watched, the very thoughts conjec- 
tured ; even an expression of the countenance, a tone of the 
voice or whisper are reported with malicious exaggeration, and 
made the bases of murderous accusations. These emigrants 



Dangerous Knowledge. 



439 



were no exceptions to the general rule. The spies ascertained 
that they had discovered some secret, which it was not desirable 
for them to know ; ascertained, too, that they intended finding 
out more, and, to complete the whole, presented clear and unde- 
niable proof that two or three of the emigrants had obtained 
private access to a chamber, where a secret Mormon meeting 
was being held, and learned, then and there, of the plans and 
purposes of the self-styled saints. 

On this discovery, another private meeting was convened, of 
which the emigrants, though the subjects of it, were kept in 
utter ignorance. It was decided that, as their offence had been 
clandestine, so should be its punishment, and the atrocity of that 
punishment was well worthy of the Inquisition of old Spain. 

Shakspeare declared that, in his time, " a man might smile 
and smile, and be a villain," and human nature has improved 
very little since his days. They smiled, these Mormon saints, 
with murderous designs in their hearts ; jested and laughed 
with the women, caressed the children, and managed to delay 
the travellers till the snows commenced falling on the moun- 
tains, and there was every appearance that the winter would 
soon set in. This was succeeded by the proposal that two or 
three of the Mormons should accompauy them as guides 
through the most difficult part of the journey, leading them 
along a newly discovered route, by which the distance would be 
shortened nearly one half. Pleased with themselves, pleased 
with the Mormons, and pleased with the whole world, the unsus- 
pecting emigrants departed. True, they had seen much in Mor- 
monism that they did not like ; they had been both shocked and 
astounded by the secret revelations ; yet men so kind and pious 
and hospitable as the Mormon leaders subsequently appeared, 
must be good-hearted after all. Thus argued the unsuspicious 
emigrants, and they gladly accepted the cohort appointed them. 
And while deceiving them in this way, the Mormon leaders were 



440 Female Life among the Mormons. 

deceiving their own people in another. The uninitiated were 
informed that these men were only going a day's journey into 
the monntains to hunt. Was ever such depravity manifested in 
a civilized community before ? 

They left the Salt Lake City, left the Mormon country, 
dreaming only of the bright land of gold on the borders of the 
Pacific, and rejoiced that they had obtained guides whose 
knowledge would shorten the journey to that delectable country. 

Do you suppose that one of them ever reached there ? Can 
you imagine the dreadful character of their fate ? That is 
questionable, for the utmost horrors of imagination never 
equal the hideousness of reality. 

The name of Sierra Nevada has been given to that huge 
mountain chain which forms the western rim of the Great Basin, 
as well as the eastern boundary of California. It is not a single 
mountain range, like some of those on the eastern side of the 
continent, with an open country lying on each side of it, but a 
succession of ranges and ridges, and ridges alternating with 
narrow glens, generally filled with torrent-like rivers and 
unfathomable lakes. 

Bewildered among these mountains, escape is quite impossible. 
As well might one attempt to find his way to the open ah', 
through the intricate chambers of the Cretan labyrinth. One 
mountain crossed amid all the horrors of snow and cold and 
fatigue, only brings you to the foot of another. Unfathomable 
gulfs, frozen lakes, unmeasured precipices are before and around 
you, and death, the most horrid of .deaths, is the only relief. 

Yet, with a cool circumstantiality, this Mormon elder and 
visitor of Mr. Ward, related all the particulars of his own 
villainy and the frightful sufferings of that emigrant party he 
had assisted to decoy. One of the wretched survivors had been 
discovered by a party of hunters the next spring. He lived just 
long enough to relate the horrible fate of his companions, and 



Horrid Treachery. 



441 



tell where their remains might be found ; but the food which, 
administered sooner, would have preserved his life, in this last 
stage of famine occasioned his death. Some of these hunters 
were Mormons who returned to Utah, and this monster of 
brutality, though an elder, had gathered the information from 
their lips, without their knowing how deeply he was implicated 
in the affair. 

"And they all died?" queried Mr. Ward with a slight 
tremulousness of voice. " Heaven knows that I had rather the 
weight of their death lay on your conscience than on mine." 

" It was the will of the Lord," said the Mormon. " Had they 
not sought to betray the saints ?" 

Mr. Ward made no reply, and the Mormon continued : 

"The guides we sent out with them assured me on their 
return, that we need have no further fears from them, as they 
were so inextricably bewildered that Satan himself would not 
be able to set them right ; that instead of crossing they would 
only plunge deeper and deeper among the mountains, where cold 
and famine, just punishments for their persistence and curiosity, 
would certainly overtake them with death." 

" Then they were going north instead of west?" said Mr. 
Ward. 

"That was it ; as the children of Israel wandered in the wil- 
derness till the whole of them perished on account of their sins, 
so did these people. It has been revealed to me that it was 
according to the will of the Lord." 

" It has ?" said Mr. Ward, with a strange solemnity in his 
tone. 

"It seems that after the guides left them," continued the 
Mormon, they entered right into the heart of the granite 
mountains, destitute of vegetation, and attaining a height of 
many thousand feet. The Rocky Mountain goat and a small 
animal resembling a squirrel were the only living creatures to be 

18* 



442 Female Life among the Mormons. 



seen, and these were so shy that all attempts to approach within 
shooting distance proved in vain. The snows closed around them, 
and their stock of provisions daily diminished. It was impos- 
sible to make any progress amidst the ice and snow-drifts, and 
it was finally proposed to encamp, and remain through the win- 
ter. Fortunately as it seemed to them, they discovered a cave 
opening on the sheltered side of a mountain, whose icy pinnacles 
glittered above them at the height of 15,000 feet. Drawing 
their wagons up to the entrance, their goods were unloaded and 
most of them removed into the cavern, while the cattle were 
turned loose to browse on the tender twigs of the stunted 
bushes, and pick the scanty tufts of grass where the wind had 
blown the snow from the mountain sides. A party of five men 
went forward to explore the route, but after wandering hither 
and thither for nearly a week, and subsisting on the bark of trees 
they returned to the encampment no better off than when • they 
left it. Again and again the same project was undertaken, but 
never with success. Failure followed failure. All became 
weary, disconsolate and despairing, while all the horrors of 
famine stared them in the face. One by one the cattle were 
killed and eaten, and occasionally the hunters would bring in 
some game. These resources failing, roots, the bark of trees, and 
even grass, afforded the means of a scanty subsistence. But the 
cold became insupportable ; the ground was covered with tre- 
mendous snow-drifts, snow and sleet filled the air, and obscured 
the heavens. 

The whole party were now reduced to the most distressing 
privation. The men looked like living skeletons. Their faces 
collapsed and corpse-like, with shrunken features, and eyes 
gleaming with the fierce, unnatural glare of famine. Some took 
to their beds and refused to leave them; others, whose enfeebled 
and emaciated limbs refused to support their weight, crawled on 
their hands and knees through the cold and snow to such places 



She is Doomed ! 



448 



as the wind had left bare, and dug with their stiffened and 
benumbed fingers, for the roots of grass or anything else that 
could preserve life." 

Mr. Ward had been silently walking the room. I could hear 
his steps backward and forward; at length he paused, probably 
facing his visitor. 

" Why do you relate these things ?" he inquired sadly. 

" Because it rejoices me to think that the Lord has vanquished 
our enemies." 

" I never was one to exult over the misfortunes of an enemy," 
replied my husband. 

"Well, I do," said the elder. "I rejoice, I exult, I glory in 
them. I never experienced a sweeter sensation than in hearing 
him relate how husbands were reduced to the dreadful necessity 
of feeding on the flesh of their dead wives, and how mothers, 
with ravenous appetites feasted on the mangled bodies of their 
children. My daily prayer is that all our enemies may be 
reduced to the same necessities, and perish in a manner 
equally terrible." 

Silent as death, I had listened to this dreadful narration, half 
doubting the possibility of such horrible wickedness, till this last 
horrid wish confirmed the reality. Forgetting myself, and all 
around me, I uttered a slight scream. In an instant the two 
men were beside me. I fully understood the danger of my 
situation, and flung myself at my husband's feet. He regarded 
me with a countenance of emotion and pity. 

" She is doomed !" said the elder. " The sin that destroyed 
Eve, will be her destruction. Fatal curiosity I" 

"You will leave us now," said Mr. Ward, "I wish to con- 
verse with my wife, alone, and shall be ready to discuss this 
very unhappy subject with you, at some other time." 

The elder went away — those dreadful words still ringing in 
my ears : " She is doomed I" 



444 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



"Do you know, Maria/' said Mr. Ward, "that this foolish 
curiosity has endangered your life ?" 

" I know ; yet, curiosity is not my guiltiness, but knowledge. 
I retired to this room without a thought of listening to your 
conversation. I felt no curiosity about it, and if I heard, the 
fault was quite as much in the speaker as in me." 

It is useless to repeat the scene that followed, though it was 
not one of anger, reproof, or recrimination. Tears fell from 
other eyes than mine ; anguish and agony rent another, and a 
manly heart. I implored him to permit me to escape from the 
country. 

" The thing is impossible, Maria. How would you go ?" 
" With Harmer's party." 

He shook his head. " And were you out of this country, 
Maria, you would not be safe. Mormonism has its emissaries in 
every State of the Union, who, at the bidding of the church, 
would discover your hiding-place, with unerring certainty ; and 
then " 

" I should be left to their tender mercies, which are cruel," I 
said, interrupting him. 

11 Even so, and here, you have a friend." 

I felt — I knew it ; but, alas ! that friend was a Mormon. 
Yet, I had all confidence in his love and truth. One question 
remained : would his influence avail, to preserve me from death 
or punishment, in the councils of the church ? 



Doubts and Fears. 



445 



CHAPTER XLYIII . 

UNCERTAINTY. 

DAYS passed away, during which I suffered all the agony 
of suspense and uncertainty. A secret meeting had been 
held to deliberate on my offence, but the result was neither 
known to me nor my husband. He had been refused admit" 
tance to the council, and the decisions of these meetings were 
only manifested by subsequent events. Of course, I was in a 
continual tremor of horror and anxiety. I trembled at the 
slightest noise, and fled at the approach of my nearest friends. 
Had I been aware of the nature, time, or place of punishment, 
it would have been more tolerable ; I might have prepared for 
it, and fortified my mind against it. I was even denied the con- 
solation of the sympathy and advice of my friends, as Mr. Ward 
insisted that the only means of mitigating my punishment, would 
be to keep the whole affair a profound secret ; and the truth of 
this seemed apparent. 

Meanwhile, notwithstanding my own danger, I was deeply 
concerned for the future fate of the California adventurers. 
Their preparations to remove were progressing with great rapid- 
ity, B m and the elders giving all the assistance and advice 

in their power ; prescribing the route to be taken, and expatiat- 
ing on the prospect of wealth and happiness that attended set- 
tlers in the Land of Gold. 

Yet, their would-be victims were not wholly deceived. Mrs. 



446 



Female Life among the Mormons. 



Bradish well understood their unscrupulous character. Emily 
had learned more of their private affairs than she felt at liberty 
to reveal. Harmer conceived that the danger of escaping 
could not be greater than to remain, and trusted, perhaps, too 
much in his skill to outwit his enemies ; for, notwithstanding 
their seeming kindness, he well knew that the bitterest, blackest 
hate lived within their hearts. And they departed, one beau- 
tiful morning in early spring-time. The whole company num- 
bering nearly a dozen of those who dared to dissent from the 
Mormon policy. I bade them farewell with a choking heart and 
eyes swimming in tears. 

" Look out for the Indians/ 7 I said to Mrs. Bradish. 

" Never fear ; Anna Bradish will have both eyes open." 

" Then you are aware of the dangers V 1 

She nodded significantly, and said, "but no greater there 
than here." 

I said no more, for the eyes of Mr. Ward were upon me, with 
an expression that I well understood. 

" Did they ever reach California ?" you inquire. 

]S"ot one of them. They were attacked on the fourth night 
of their journey, and every soul of them slain. Mr. Ward told 
me this, and when I wept and reproached him for consenting to 
such crimes, he coolly answered that he could do nothing to pre- 
vent it ; that so long as the majority were in favor of such 
doings, the minority must either keep silent, or share the same 
fate. 

A day or two after this, Mr. Ward informed me that business 
connected with the church required his absence for a few days. 
The words in themselves were simple enough, but the anxiety of 
his manner, and an indefinable expression of his countenance, 
excited in my mind the most horrible suspicion. I would have 
fallen at his feet and implored him to tell me whether or not 
his absence was consistent with my safety, but, immediately on 



Escape of the Author. 



44? 



informing me of his design, he left the house, without a solitary 
embrace, or word of farewell. Apprehensive of something 
dreadful, and laboring under the most intolerable suspense, the 
thought of escaping flashed into my mind. It was not a new 
idea, but, hitherto, I had dismissed it as something impossible 
to be accomplished. This moment, however, the burning desire 
for liberty, coupled with the greatest repugnance to remain any 
longer among the Mormons, and a certain presentiment that 
fearful punishment awaited me, completely absorbed all the feel- 
ings and emotions of nry being, and, for the time, I failed to 
realize that other dangers existed, or to deliberate on the best 
course to be pursued. Impatiently waiting the hour of night- 
fall, I made a few slight preparations, such as habiting myself 
in a suit of male attire, which had formerly belonged to Mrs. 
Bradish, and staining my face so as to resemble an Indian ; and 
then, the moment that it became sufficiently dark to prevent 
observation, I cautiously let myself out by the back door of our 
house, scaled the garden fence, and descended into the valley, 
through which lay the Indian trail. 

At first, I felt buoyant and exulting, as I walked briskly 
onward, through the dark shadows of the forest ; but, when the 
sense of weariness began to overtake me, and the loud, long 
howl of the wolf mingled ominously with the panther's scream, 
and the solemn wail of the night-bird, I began to realize the full 
dangers of my situation, and to reflect on the temerity of leaving 
the habitations of men, to wander alone, and perhaps perish, in 
the almost interminable wilderness. In this extremity, I com- 
mended myself to God, as an ever-present Refuge in time of 
trouble, and took courage from the knowledge of His overruling 
Providence. Full of these comforting thoughts, I sat down to 
rest at the foot of a tree. I no longer felt afraid. The words of 
the patriarch were in my mouth, and their influence animated 
my inmost soul : " The Lord God of Israel is thy Refuge, and 



448 Female Life among the Mormons. 



underneath thee is the Everlasting Arm." During *these gra- 
cious meditations, I was overpowered by a deep but pleasant 
slumber, and awoke the next morning to find the sun shining, 
and the birds singing, while my spirits were refreshed, and my 
strength invigorated. Making a slight breakfast on some biscuit 
which I had brought with me, I journeyed on, and soon perceived 
a horse feeding on the borders of a small stream. He was bri- 
dled and saddled, and a dark stain on the accoutrements was 
evidently blood. He beheld, and approached me, with all the 
familiarity of an old friend, though, judging from his appearance 
of neglect, several days had elapsed since he had known the care 
and protection of a master. The bridle-rein was broken, and 
the saddle-girth displaced, probably occasioned by his lying 
down. I spoke to him gently, replaced the saddle, and leading 
him to a fallen tree, mounted without opposition. He was a 
fine, noble animal, with high spirits, and bore me rapidly along. 
It would be impossible for me to recount the emotions of grati- 
tude and devout thankfulness that I experienced while reflecting 
on this timely interposition of Providence in my behalf. The 
steed had probably belonged to some soldier or emigrant, who 
had been slain by the Indians or the Mormons. I could now 
accomplish my journey with great facility, alternately riding and 
walking during the day, and resting beneath some temporary 
shelter at night. 

At length, on the fourth day of my journey, while resting at 
noon beneath the shade of a tree, at the foot of a hill, I heard 
a rustling in the thicket, near me, and the next moment a deer, 
wounded to death by an arrow then sticking in his breast, flew 
past, but stumbled and fell, apparently dead, a few rods ahead. 
Immediately after, came an Indian, in all the glory of paint 
and feathers. Perceiving me, he gave a characteristic grunt, 
and paused, as if uncertain whether to advance or retire. I rose, 
and, approaching him, held out my hand, which he took, after 



The Warning — Conclusion. 



449 



some hesitation. He could speak English, and a conversation 
ensued, which resulted in his inviting me to his cabin. I gladly 
accepted his hospitality, and the deer being dressed, we started 
for his home. But imagine my surprise and pleasure, to find on 
my arrival there, an old acquaintance in its occupant. 

" Ethleen !" I exclaimed in astonishment. 

She started at the voice, and surveyed me with a strange 
mixture ot curiosity and surprise. Thinking it best to throw 
myself on her generosity, I revealed to her, at once, all the cir- 
cumstances of my escape from the Mormons, and had the satis- 
faction to ascertain that I had awakened in her bosom a 
sympathy and interest that would result to my advantage. I 
abode with them several days, and then the Indian volunteered 
to guide me to the civilized settlements. Under his protection, 
I accomplished the journey with comparative safety, though 
nearly three months elapsed from the time of my departure 
from Mormondom, before I reached the bosom of my friends. 

Safe with them, I was too happy, for a long time, to think of 
writing a book ; but, hearing much said about Mormonisni, and 
the designs of its leaders, I felt a desire to present a picture of 
my experience to the world, that all might know the enormities 
of the Mormon system, and the crimes and impostures of its 
leading members, whose baleful influence is paramount in beau- 
tiful Utah. If any are thereby warned, my labor will not have 
been in vain. 



THE END. 




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